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Part  One 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY 


OF  THE 

Negro  Race  in  America 

FROM  1619  TO  1890 

COMBINED  WITH  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE 
NEGRO  SOLDIERS  IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN 
WAR,  ALSO  A SHORT  SKETCH  OF  LIBERIA 


BY 

EDWARD  A.  JOHNSON,  LL.B. 


Author  of  “Light  Ahesd  for  the  Negro  and  “The  Negro  Almanac  and  Statistics’ 


REVISED  EDITION,  1911 


Isaac  Goldman n Co.,  Printers,  200-204  William  Street,  New  York 


Copyright,  1891, 

By  Edward  A.  Johnson,  LL.B., 
Raleigh,  N.  C. 


PREFACE. 


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To  the  many  thousand  colored  teachers  in  our 
country  this  book  is  dedicated.  During  my  experi- 
ence of  eleven  years  as  a teacher,  I have  often  felt 
that  the  children  of  the  race  ought  to  study  some 
work  that  would  give  them  a little  information  on 
the  many  brave  deeds  and  noble  characters  of  their 
own  race.  I have  often  observed  the  sin  of  omission 
and  commission  on  the  part  of  white  authors,  most 
of  whom  seem  to  have  written  exclusively  for  white 
children,  and  studiously  left  out  the  many  creditable 
deeds  of  the  Negro.  The  general  tone  of  most  of 
the  histories  taught  in  our  schools  has  been  that  of 
the  inferiority  of  the  Negro,  whether  actually  said 
in  so  many  words,  or  left  to  be  implied  from  the 
highest  laudation  of  the  deeds  of  one  race  to  the 
complete  exclusion  of  those  of  the  other.  It  must, 
indeed,  be  a stimulus  to  any  people  to  be  able  to 
refer  to  their  ancestors  as  distinguished  in  deeds  of 
valor,  and  peculiarly  so  to  the  colored  people.  But 
how  must  the  little  colored  child  feel  when  he  has 
completed  the  assigned  course  of  U.  S.  History  and 
in  it  found  not  one  word  of  credit,  not  one  word  of 

(»») 


202010 


i * 


PREFACE. 


favorable  comment  for  even  one  among  the  millions 
of  his  foreparents,  who  have  lived  through  nearly 
three  centuries  of  his  country’s  history  ! The  Negro 
is  hardly  given  a passing  notice  in  many  of  the  his- 
tories taught  in  the  schools  ; he  is  credited  with  no 
heritage  of  valor ; he  is  mentioned  only  as  a slave, 
while  true  historical  records  prove  him  to  have  been 
among  the  most  patriotic  of  patriots,  among  the 
bravest  of  soldiers,  and  constantly  a God-fearing, 
faithful  producer  of  the  nation’s  wealth.  Though 
a slave  to  this  government,  his  was  the  first  blood 
shed  in  its  defence  in  those  days  when  a foreign  foe 
threatened  its  destruction.  In  each  of  the  American 
wars ‘the  Negro  was  faithful — yes,  faithful  to  a land 
not  his  own  in  point  of  rights  and  freedom,  but,  in- 
deed, a land  that,  after  he  had  shouldered  his  mus- 
ket to  defend,  rewarded  him  with  a renewed  term 
of  slavery.  Patriotism  and  valor  under  such  cir- 
cumstances possess  a peculiar  merit  and  beauty.  But 
such  is  the  truth  of  history  ; and  may  I not  hope  that 
the  study  of  this  little  work  by  the  boys  and  girls  of 
the  race  will  inspire  in  them  a new  self-respect  and 
confidence  ? Much,  of  course,  will  depend  on  you, 
dear  teachers,  into  whose  hands  I hope  to  place  this 
book.  By  your  efforts,  and  those  of  the  children, 
you  are  to  teach  from  the  truth  of  history  that  com- 
plexions do  not  govern  patriotism,  valor,  and  sterling 
integrity. 


PREFAOE. 


V 


My  endeavor  has  been  to  shorten  this  work  as 
much  as  I thought  consistent  with  clearness.  Per- 
sonal opinions  and  comments  have  been  kept  out. 
A fair  impartial  statement  has  been  my  aim.  Facts 
are  what  I have  tried  to  give  without,  bias  or  preju- 
dice ; and  may  not  something  herein  said  hasten  on 
that  day  when  the  race  for  which  these  facts  are 
written,  following  the  example  of  the  noble  men  and 
women  who  have  gone  before,  level  themselves  up 
to  the  highest  pinnacle  of  all  that  is  noble  in  human 
nature? 

I respectfully  request  that  my  fellow-teachers  will 
see  to  it  that  the  word  Negro  is  written  with  a 
capital  N.  It  deserves  to  be  so  enlarged,  and  will 
help,  perhaps,  to  magnify  the  race  it  stands  for  in 
the  minds  of  those  who  see  it. 

E.  A.  J. 


202010 


CONTENTS-PART  I. 


CHAPTER 

I. 

Introduction,  .... 

»AGE 

9 

II. 

Beginning  of  Slavery  in  the  Colonies, 

. 

17 

III. 

The  New  York  Colony,  . 

. 

23 

IV. 

Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  and  Connecticut, 

25 

V. 

New  Hampshire  and  Maryland, 

• • 

34 

VI. 

Delaware  and  Pennsylvania,  . 

• • 

40 

VII. 

North  Carolina,  .... 

• • 

4i 

'VIII. 

South  Carolina,  .... 

. 

44 

IX. 

Georgia, 

. 

46 

X. 

Habits  and  Customs  of  the  Southern  Colonies, 

53 

XI. 

Negro  Soldiers  in  Revolutionary  Times, 

. 

56 

xir. 

Negro  Heroes  of  the  Revolution,  . 

. 

63 

XIII. 

The  War  of  1812,  . 

• . 

74 

XIV. 

Efforts  for  Freedom, 

• • 

80 

XV. 

Frederick  Douglass, 

• • 

84 

XVI. 

Liberia, 

• • 

88 

XVII. 

Nat.  Turner  and  Others  who  Struck  for  Free- 

dom, 

. 

90 

XVIII. 

Anti-Slavery  Agitation,  . 

. 

98 

XIX. 

Examples  of  Underground  Railroad  Work,,,  . 

IOI 

XX. 

Slave  Population  of  i860, 

. , 

102 

( 


CONTENTS. 


viii 

CHAPTER 

XXI.  The  War  of  the  Rebellion, 

XXII.  Employment  of  Negro  Soldiers, 

XXIII.  Fort  Pillow 

XXIV.  Around  Petersburg, 

XXV.  The  Crater, 

XXVI.  Incidents  of  the  War, 

XXVII.  The  End  of  the  War,  . 

XXVIII.  Reconstruction — 1865-68, 

XXIX.  Progress  Since  Freedom,  , 

XXX.  Religious  Progress, 

XXXI.  Educational  Progress, 

XXXII.  Financial  Progress, 

XXXIII.  Some  Noted  Negroes, 

XXXIV.  Free  People  of  Color  in  North  Carolina, 

XXXV.  Conclusion, 

Index,  


PACE 

>°3 

109 

118 

122 

126 

131 

135 

138 

142 

146 

156 

162 

167 

190 

196 

197 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY 

OF  THE 

NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

The  Origin  of  the  Negro  is  definitely  known. 
Some  very  wise  men,  writing  to  suit  prejudiced 
readers,  have  endeavored  to  assign  the  race  to  a 
separate  creation  and  deny  its  kindred  with  Adam 
and  Eve.  But  historical  records  prove  the  Negro  as 
ancient  as  the  most  ancient  races — for  5000  years 
into  the  dim  past  mention  is  made  of  the  Negro  race. 
The  pyramids  of  Egypt , the  great  temples  on  the  Nile, 
were  either  built  by  Negroes  or  people  closely  related 
to  them.  All  the  science  and  learning  of  ancient 
Greece  and  Rome  was,  probably,  once  in  the  hands  of 
the  foreparents  of  the  American  slaves.  They  are, 
then,  descendants  of  a race  of  people  once  the  most 
powerful  on  earth,  the  race  of  the  Pharaohs.  His- 
tory, traced  from  the  flood,  makes  the  three  sons  of 
Noah,  Ham,  Shem,  and  Japheth,  the  progenitors  of 
the  three  primitive  races  of  the  earth — the  Mongo- 

(9) 


10 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


lian,  descended  from  Shem  and  settled  in  Southern 
and  Eastern  Asia ; the  Caucasian,  descended  from 
Japheth  and  settled  in  Europe  ; the  Ethiopian,  de- 
scended from  Ham  and  settled  in  Africa  and  adja- 
cent countries.  From  Ham  undoubtedly  sprung  the 
Egyptians  who,  in  honor  of  Ham,  their  great  head, 
earned  their  principal  god  Hammon  or  Ammon. 

Ham  was  the  father  of  Canaan,  from  whom  de- 
scended the  powerful  Canaanites  so  troublesome  to 
the  Jews.  Cush,  the  oldest  son  of  Ham,  was  the 
father  of  Nimrod,  “ the  mighty  one  in  the  earth  ” 
and  founder  of  the  Babylonian  Empire.  Nimrod’s 
son  built  the  unrivalled  City  of  Nineveh  in  the  pic- 
turesque valley  of  the  Tigris.  Unless  the  Bible 
statement  be  false  that  “ God  created  of  one  blood 
all  nations  of  men  for  to  dwell  on  the  face  of  the  earth',' 
and  the  best  historians  have  erred,  then  the  origin 
of  the  Negro  is  high  enough  to  merit  his  proudest 
boasts  of  the  past,  and  arouse  his  grandest  hopes 
for  the  future. 

The  Present  Condition  of  the  African  is  the  re- 
sult of  the  fall  of  the  Egyptian  empire,  which  was  in 
accord  with  the  Bible  prophecy  of  all  nations  who 
forgot  God  and  worshipped  idols.  That  the  Afri- 
cans were  once  a great  people  is  shown  by  their 
natural  love  for  the  fine  arts.  They  are  poetic  by 
nature,  and  national  airs  sung  long  ago  by  exploring 
parties  in  Central  Africa  are  still  held  by  them,  and 


NEORO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


11 


strike  the  ears  of  more  modern  travellers  with  joy 
and  surprise. 

Ancient  Cities  Discovered  in  the  very  heart  of 
Africa,  having  well  laid  off  streets,  improved  wharfs, 
and  conveniences  for  trade,  connect  these  people 
with  a better  condition  in  the  past  than  now.  While 
many  of  the  native  Africans  are  desperately  savage, 
yet  in  their  poor,  degraded  condition  it  is  the  unani- 
mous testimony  of  missionaries  and  explorers  that 
many  of  these  people  have  good  judgment,  some 
tribes  have  written  languages,  and  show  skill  in 
weaving  cloth,  smelting  and  refining  gold  and  iron 
and  making  implements  of  war. 

Their  Wonderful  regard  for  truth  and  virtue  is 
surprising,  and  fixes  a great  gulf  between  them  and 
other  savage  peoples.  They  learn  rapidly,  and,  un- 
fortunately, it  is  too  often  the  case  that  evil  teaching 
is  given  them  by  the  vile  traders  who  frequent  their 
country  with  an  abundance  of  rum,  mouths  full  of 
curses,  and  the  worst  of  bad  English. 

Long  Years  Spent  in  the  most  debilitating  cli- 
mate on  earth  and  violation  of  divine  law,  made  the 
African  what  he  was  when  the  slave  trade  com- 
menced in  the  16th  century.  But  his  condition  was 
not  so  bad  that  he  could  not  be  made  a good  citizen. 
Nay,  he  was  superior  to  the  ancient  savage  Briton 
whom  Caesar  found  in  England  and  described  as  un- 
fitted to  make  respectable  slaves  of  in  the  Roman 


12 


A SCHOOL  HISTOR  Y OF  THE 


Empire.  The  Briton  has  had  eighteen  centuries  to 
be  what  he  is,  the  Negro  has  had  really  but  twenty- 
five  years.  Let  us  weigh  his  progress  in  just  bal- 
ances. 

SOME  QUOTATIONS  FROM  LEADING  WRITERS  ON 
THE  NEGRO. 

“ The  Sphinx  may  have  been  the  shrine  of  the 
Negro  population  of  Egypt,  who,  as  a people,  were 
Unquestionably  under  our  average  size.  Three  mil- 
lion Buddhists  in  Asia  represent  their  chief  deity. 
Buddha,  with  Negro  features  and  hair.  There  are 
two  other  images  of  Buddha,  one  at  Ceylon  and  the 
other  at  Calanse,  of  which  Lieutenant  Mahoney 
says:  ‘Both  these  statues  agree  in  having  crisped 
hair  and  long,  pendant  ear-rings.’  ” — Morion. 

“The  African  is  a man  with  every  attribute  of 
humankind.  Centuries  of  barbarism  have  had  the 
same  hurtful  effects  on  Africans  as  Pritchard  de- 
scribes them  to  have  had  on  certain  of  the  Irish  who 
were  driven,  some  generations  back,  to  the  hills  in 
Ulster  and  Connaught” — the  moral  and  physical 
effects  are  the  same. 

“ Ethnologists  reckon  the  African  as  by  no  means 
the  lowest  of  the  human  family.  He  is  nearly  as 
strong  physically  as  the  European  ; and,  as  a race, 
is  wonderfully  persistent  among  the  nations  of  the 


KEG  Jin  RACE  IN  AMERIOA. 


13 


earth.  Neither  the  diseases  nor  the  ardent  spirits 
which  proved  so  fatal  to  the  North  American 
Indians,  the  South  Sea  Islanders  and  Australians, 
seem  capable  of  annihilating  the  Negroes.  They 
are  gifted  with  physical  strength  capable  of  with- 
standing the  severest  privations.  Many  would 
pine  away  in  a state  of  slavery.  No  Krooman  can 
be  converted  into  a slave,  and  yet  he  is  an  inhabit- 
ant of  the  low,  unhealthy  west  coast ; nor  can  any 
of  the  Zulu  or  Kaffir  tribe  be  reduced  to  bondage, 
though  all  these  live  in  comparatively  elevated 
regions.  We  have  heard  it  stated  by  men  familiar 
with  some  of  the  Kaffirs,  that  a blow  given,  even 
in  play,  by  a European,  must  be  returned.  A love 
of  liberty  is  observable  in  all  who  have  the  Zulu 
blood,  as  the  Makololo,  the  Watuta.  But  blood 
does  not  explain  the  fact.  A beautiful  Barotse 
woman  at  Naliele,  on  refusing  to  marry  a man 
whom  she  did  not  like,  was,  in  a pet,  given  by  the 
headman  to  some  Mambari  slave  traders  from  Ben- 
guela.  Seeing  her  fate,  she  seized  one  of  their 
spears,  and,  stabbing  herself,  fell  dead.” — Living- 
stone's Works. 

“In  ancient  times  the  blacks  were  known  to  be 
so  gentle  to  strangers  that  many  believed  that  the 
gods  sprang  from  them.  Homer  sings  of  the  ocean, 
father  of  the  gods,  and  says  that  when  Jupiter 
wishes  to  take  a holiday,  he  visits  the  sea,  and  goes 


14 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


to  the  banquets  of  the  blacks — a people  humble, 
courteous  and  devout.” 


THE  CURSE  OF  NOAH  WAS  NOT  DIvrNE ! 

The  following  passage  of  Scripture  has  been  much  quoted  as  an  argument 
to  prove  the  inferiority  of  the  Negro  race.  The  Devil  can  quote  Scripture, 
but  not  always  correctly : “ And  Noah  began  to  be  an  husbandman,  and  he 
planted  a vineyard : and  he  drank  of  the  wine,  and  was  drunken  and  was 
uncovered  in  his  tent,  and  Ham,  the  father  of  Canaan,  saw  the  nakedness  of 
his  father,  and  told  his  two  brethren  without,  and  Shem  and  Japheth  took  a 
garment  aytd  laid  it  upon  both  their  shoulders,  and  went  backward  and  cov- 
ered the  nakedness  of  their  father;  and  their  faces  were  backward,  and  they 
saw  not  their  father’s  nakedness,  and  Noah  awoke  from  his  wine,  and  knew 
what  his  younger  son  had  done  unto  him,  and  he  said,  Cursed  be  Canaan;  a 
servant  of  servants  shall  he  be  unto  his  brethren.  And  he  said  : Blessed  be 
the  I.ord  God  of  Shem,  and  Canaan  shall  be  his  servant.  God  shall  enlarge 
Japheth,  and  he  shall  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem,  and  Canaan  shall  be  his 
servant.” 

After  the  flood  Noah’s  mission  as  a preacher  to  the-people  was  over.  He 
so  recognized  it  himself,  and  settled  himself  down  with  his  family  on  a vine- 
yard. He  got  drunk  of  the  wine  he  made,  and  disgracefully  lay  in  naked- 
ness; on  awaking  from  his  drunken  stupor,  and  learning  of  Ham’s  acts,  he, 
in  rage,  speaks  his  feelings  to  Canaan,  Ham’s  son.  He  was  in  bad  temper  at 
this  time,  and  spoke  as  one  in  such  a temper  in  those  times  naturally  would 
speak.  To  say  he  was  uttering  God’s  will  would  be  a monstrosity — would  be 
to  drag  the  sacred  words  of  prophecy  through  profane  lips,  and  make  God 
speak  his  will  to  men  out  of  the  mouth  of  a drunkard,  of  whom  the  Holy 
Writ  says  none  can  enter  the  kingdom.  A drunken  prophet  strikes  the  mind 
with  ridicule!  Yet,  such  was  Noah,  if  at  all,  and  such  the  character  of  that 
prophet  whom  biased  minds  have  chosen  as  the  expounder  of  a curse  on  the 
Negro  race.  It  is  not  strange  that  so  few  people  have  championed  the  curse 
theory  of  the  race,  when  we  think  that  in  so  doing  they  must  at  the  same 
time  endorse  Noah’s  drunkenness. 

But,  aside  from  this,  the  so-called  prophecy  of  Noah  has  not  become  true 
The  best  evidence  of  a prophecy  is  its  fulfillment.  Canaan’s  descendants 
have  often  conquered,  though  Noah  Said  they  would  not.  Goodrich  makes 
the  Canaanites,  so  powerful  in  the  fortified  cities  of  Ai  and  Jericho,  the  direct 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


15 


descendants  of  Canaan  They  were  among  the  most  powerful  people  of 
olden  times.  They  and  their  kindred  built  up  Egypt,  Phoenicia,  the  mother 
of  the  alphabet,  and  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  the  two  most  wonderful  of  ancient 
cities.  The  Jews,  Cod’s  chosen  people,  were  enslaved  by  the  kindred  of 
Canaan  both  in  Egypt  and  Babylon.  Melchizedek  (King  of  Righteousness), 
a sacred  character  of  the  Old  Testament,  was  a Canaanite.  So,  rather  than 
being  a race  of  slaves,  as  Noah  predicted,  the  Canaanitish  people  have  been 
the  greatest  people  of  the  earth.  The  great  nations  of  antiquity  were  in  and 
around  Eastern  Africa  and  Western  Asia,  in  which  is  located  Mount  Ararat, 
supposed  to  be  the  spot  on  which  the  ark  rested  after  the  flood.  These  nations 
sprang  from  the  four  sons  of  Ham — Cush,  Mizarim,  Phut  and  Canaan.  The 
Cushites  were  Ethiopians,  who  lived  in'  Abyssinia.  The  Mizarimites  were 
Egyptians,  who  lived  in  Egypt,  and  so  distinguished  for  greatness.  The  Ca- 
naanites  occupied  the  country  including  Tyre  and  Sidon  and  stretching  down 
into  Arabia  as  far  as  Gaza  and  including  the  province  of  the  renowned  Queen 
of  Sheba, 

In  the  light  of  true  history  the  curse  theory  of  the  Negro  melts  like  snow 
under  a summer's  sun.  We  contend,  from  the  above  facts,  that  Noah  did 
not  utter  a prophecy  when  he  spoke  to  Canaan,  and  as  proof  of  that  fact  we 
nave  quoted  some  historical  data  to  show  that  if  he  did  make  such  a prophecy 
it  was  not  fulfilled.  We  will  add,  further,  that  the  part  of  the  alleged  prophecy 
conferring  blessings  on  Shem  and  Japheth  has  also  fallen  without  verification, 
in  that  the  descendants  of  these  two  personages  have  more  than  once  been 
enslaved. 

It  seems  hardly  necessary  in  this  age  of  enlightenment  to  refer  to  the  Curse 
Theory  argued  so  persistently  by  those  who  needed  some  such  argument  as 
an  apology  for  wrong-doing,  but  still  there  are  some  who  yet  believe  in  it, 
having  never  cut  loose  from  the  moorings  of  blind  prejudice.  The  Color 
Theory  was  also  quite  popular  formerly  as  an  argument  in  support  of  the 
curse  of  Noah.  We  hold  that  the  color  of  the  race  is  due  to  climatic  influ- 
ences, and  in  support  of  this  view  read  this  quotation  in  reference  to  Africa : 
“ As  we  go  westward  we  observe  the  light  color  predominating  over  the  dark  ; 
and  then,  again,  when  we  come  within  the  influence  of  the  damp  from  the 
sea  air,  we  find  the  shade  deepened  into  the  general  blackness  of  the  coast 
population. 

“ It  is  well  known  that  the  Biseagan  women  are  shining  white,  the  inhab- 
itants of  Granada,  on  the  contrary,  dark,  to  such  an  extent  that  in  this  region 
(West  Europe)  the  pictures  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  other  saints  are  painted 
of  the  same  color.” 


16 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Black  is  no  mark  of  reproach  to  people  who  do  not  worship  white.  The. 
West  Indians  in  the  interior  represent  the  devil  as  white.  The  American 
Indians  make  fun  of  the  “ pale  face,”  and  so  does  the  native  African.  People 
in  this  country  have  been  educated  to  believe  in  white  because  all  that  is 
good  has  been  ascribed  to  the  white  race  both  in  pictures  and  words.  God, 
the  angels  and  all  the  paophets  are  pictured  white  and  the  Devil  is  represented 
ii  black. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


17 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  SLAVERY  IN  THE 
COLONIES. 

j 

The  first  Negroes  landed  at  Jamestown,  Va. 

In  the  year  1619,  a Dutch  trading  vessel,  being  in 
need  of  supplies,  weighed  anchor  at  Jamestown,  and 
exchanged  fourteen  Negroes  for  food  and  supplies. 
The  Jamestown  people  made  slaves  of  these  four- 
teen Negroes,  but  did  not  pass  any  law  to  that  effect 
until  the  year  1662,  when  the  number  of  slaves  in 
the  colony  was  then  nearly  2000,  most  of  whom 
had  been  imported  from  Africa. 

How  They  were  Employed.  The  Jamestown 
colony  early  discovered  the  profits  of  the  tobacco 
crop,  and  the  Negro  slaves  were  largely  employed 
in  this  industry,  where  they  proved  very  profitable. 
They  were  also  enlisted  in  the  militia,  but  could 
not  bear  arms  except  in  defence  of  the  colonists 
against  the  Indians.  The  greater  part  of  the 
manual  labor  of  all  kinds  was  performed  by  the 
slaves. 

The  Slaves  Imported  came  chiefly  from  the 
west  coast  of  Africa.  They  were  crowded  into  the 


18 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


holds  of  ships  in  droves,  and  often  suffered  for  food 
and  drink.  Many,  when  opportunity  permitted, 
would  jump  overboard  rather  than  be  taken  from 
their  homes.  Various  schemes  were  resorted  to  by 
the  slave-traders  to  get  possession  of  the  Africans. 
They  bought  many  who  had  been  taken  prisoners 
by  stronger  tribes  than  their  own ; they  stole 
others,  and  some  they  took  at  the  gun  and  pistol’s 
mouth. 

Many  of  the  Captives  of  the  slave-traders  sold 
in  this  country  were  from  tribes  possessing  more  or 
less  knowledge  of  the  use  of  tools.  Some  came 
from  tribes  skilled  in  making  gold  and  ivory  orna- 
ments, cloth,  and  magnificent  steel  weapons  of  war. 
The  men  had  been  trained  to  truthfulness,  honesty, 
and  valor,  while  the  women  were  virtuous  even  unto 
death.  While  polygamy  is  prevajent  among  most 
African  tribes,  yet  their  system  of  marrying  off  the 
young  girls  at  an  early  age,  and  thus  putting  them 
under  the  guardianship  of  their  husbands,  is  a pro- 
tection to  them;  and  the  result  is  plainly  seen  by 
travellers  who  testify  positively  to  the  uprightness 
of  the.  women. 

The  Ancestors  of  the  American  Negroes,  though 
savage  in  some  respects,  yet  were  not  so  bad  as 
many  people  think.  The  native  African  had  then, 
and  he  has  now,  much  respect  for  what  we  call  law 
and  justice-  This  fact  is  substantiated  by  the  nu- 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


19 


merous  large  tribes  existing,  individuals  of  which 
grow  to  be  very  old,  a thing  that  could  not  happen 
were  there  the  wholesale  brutalism  which  we  are 
sometimes  told  exists.  All  native  Africans  univer- 
sally despise  slavery,  and  even  in  Liberia  have  a 
contempt  for  the  colored  people  there  who  were 
once  slaves  in  America. 

The  Jamestown  Slaves  were  doomed  to  ser- 
vitude and  ignorance  both  Dy  law  and  custom ; they 
were  not  allowed  to  vote,  and  could  not  be  set  free 
even  by  their  masters,  except  for  “ some  meritorious 
service.”  Their  religious  instruction  was  of  an  in- 
ferior order,  and  slaves  were  sometimes  given  to  the 
white  ministers  as  pay  for  their  services. 

The  Free  Negroes  of  Jamestown  were  in  a 
Similar  condition  to  that  of  the  slaves.  They  could 
vote  and  bear  arms  in  defence  of  the  colony,  but 
not  for  themselves.  They  were  taxed  to  bear  the 
expenses  of  the  government,  but  could  not  be  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  they  helped  to  build.  Some  of 
them  managed  to  acquire  some  education  and  prop- 
erty. 

The  Negro  Heroes  who  may  have  exhibited 
their  heroism  in  many  a daring  feat  during  the  early 
history  of  Jamestown  are  not  known.  It  is  unfor- 
tunate that  there  was  no  record  kept  except  that  of 
the  crimes  of  his  ancestors  in  this  country.  Judg- 
ing, however,  from  the  records  of  later  years,  we 


20 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OR  THE 


may  conclude  that  the  Negro  slave  of  Jamestown 
was  not  without  his  Banneka  or  Blind  Tom.  Cer- 
tainly his  labor  was  profitable  and  may  be  said  to 
have  built  up  the  colony. 

When  John  Smith  became  Governor  of  the 
Jamestown  colony,  there  were  none  but  white  in- 
habitants; their  indolent  habits  caused  him  to  make 
a law  declaring  that  “he  who  would  not  work  should 
not  eat.”  Prior  to  this  time  the  colony  had  proved 
a failure  and  continued  so  till  the  introduction  of  the 
slaves,  under  whose  labor  it  soon  grew  prosperous 
and  recovered  from  its  hardships. 

Thomas  Fuller,  sometimes  called  “ the  Virginia 
Calculator,”  must  not  be  overlooked  in  speaking  of 
the  record  of  the  Virginia  Negro.  He  was  stolen 
from  his  home  in  Africa  and  sold  to  a planter  near 
Alexandria,  Va.  His  genius  for  mathematics  won 
for  him  a great  reputation.  He  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  such  men  as  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  of  Phila- 
delphia, who,  in  company  with  others,  was  passing 
through  Virginia.  Tom  was  sent  for  by  one  of  the 
company  and  asked,  “how  many  seconds  a man  of 
seventy  years,  some  odd  months,  weeks  and  days, 
had  lived?”  He  gave  the  exact  number  in  a minute 
and  a half.  The  gentleman  who  questioned  him 
took  his  pen,  and  after  some  figuring  told  him  he 
must  be  mistaken,  as  the  number  was  too  great. 
“’Top,  massal”  cried  Tom,  “you  hab  left  out  the 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


21 


leap  year” — and  sure  enough  Tom  was  correct. — 
Williams. 

The  following  was  published  in  several  news- 
papers when  Thomas  Fuller  died  : 

“Died. — Negro  Tom,  the  famous  African  Calcu- 
lator, aged  80  years.  He  was  the  property  of  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Cox,  of  Alexandria.  Tom  was  a very 
black  man.  He  was  brought  to  this  country  at  the 
age  of  fourteen,  and  was  sold  as  a slave  with  many 
of  his  unfortunate  countrymen.  This  man  was  a 
prodigy ; though  he  could  neither  read  nor  write,  he 
had  perfectly  acquired  the  use  of  enumeration.  He 
could  give  the  number  of  months,  days,  weeks,  hours, 
minutes,  and  seconds  for  any  period  of  time  that  a 
person  chose  to  mention  allowing  in  his  calculations 
for  all  the  leap  years  that  happened  in  the  time.  He 
would  give  the  number  of  poles,  yards,  feet,  inches 
and  barleycorns  in  a given  distance — say  the  diam- 
eter of  the  earth’s  orbit — and  in  every  calculation  he 
would  produce  the  true  answer  in  less  time  than 
ninety-nine  out  of  a hundred  men  would  take  with 
their  pens.  And  what  was,  perhaps,  more  extraor- 
dinary, though  interrupted  in  the  progress  of  his  cal- 
culations and  engaged  in  discourse  upon  any  other 
subject,  his  operations  were  not  thereby  in  the  least 
deranged.  He  would  go  on  where  he  left  off,  and 
could  give  any  and  all  of  the  stages  through  which 
his  calculations  had  passed.  Thus  died  Negro  Tom, 


22 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


this  untaught  arithmetician,  this  untutored  scholar. 
Had  his  opportunities  of  improvement  been  equal 
to  those  of  a thousand  of  his  fellow-men,  neither  the 
Royal  Society  of  London,  the  Academy  of  Sciences 
at  Paris,  nor  even  a Newton  himself  need  have  been 
ashamed  to  acknowledge  him  a brother  in  science.” 

How  many  of  his  kind  might  there  have  been 
had  the  people  of  Jamestown  seen  fit  to  give  the 
Negroes  who  came  to  their  shores  a laborer’s  and 
emigrant’s  chance  rather  than  enslaving  them ! 
Much  bloodshed  and  dissension  might  thus  have 
been  avoided,  and  the  honor  of  the  nation  never 
besmirched  with  human  bondage. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA 


23 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  NEW  YORK  COLONY. 

The  enslavement  of  the  Negro  seems  to  have 
commenced  in  the  New  York  Colony  about  the  same 
time  as  at  Jamestown  (1619).  The  slaves  were  used 
on  the  farms,  and  became  so  profitable  that  about 
the  time  the  English  took  the  colony  from  the 
Dutch,  1664,  there  was  a great  demand  for  slaves, 
and  the  trade  grew  accordingly. 

The  Privileges  of  the  Slaves  in  New  York 
were,  for  a while,  a little  better  than  in  Virginia. 
They  were  taken  into  the  church  and  baptized,  and 
no  law  was  passed  to  prevent  their  getting  an  edu- 
cation. But  the  famous  Wall  Street,  now  the  finan- 
cial centre  of  the  New  World,  was  once  the  scene 
of  an  auction  block  where  Indians  and  persons  of 
Negro  descent  were  bought  and  sold.  A whipping 
boss  was  once  a characteristic  officer  in  New  York 
city. 

The  Riot  of  1712  shows  the  feeling  between  the 
master  and  servant  at  that  time.  The  Negro  popu- 
lation being  excluded  from  schools,  not  allowed  to 
own  land,  even  when  free,  and  forbidden  to  “ strike 


24 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OH  THE 


a Christian  or  Jew”  in  self-defence,  and  their  testi- 
mony excluded  from  the  courts,  arose  in  arms  and 
with  the  torch ; houses  were  burned,  and  many 
whites  killed,  before  the  militia  suppressed  them. 
Many  of  the  Negroes  of  New  York  were  free,  and 
many  came  from  the  Spanish  provinces. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


25 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MASSACHUSETTS,  RHODE  ISLAND,  AND 
CONNECTICUT. 

Negro  slavery  existed  in  Massachusetts  as  early 
as  1633.  The  Puritan  fathers  who  came  to  this 
country  in  search  of  liberty,  carried  on  for  more 
than  a century  a traffic  in  human  flesh  and  blood. 
The  New  England  ships  of  the  17th  century  brought 
cargoes  of  Negroes  from  the  west  coast  of  Africa 
and  the  Barbadoes.  They  sold  many  of  them  in 
New  England  as  well  as  in  the  Southern  colonies. 
In  1764  there  were  nearly  6000  slaves  in  Massa- 
chusetts, about  4000  in  Rhode  Island,  and  the  same 
in  Connecticut. 

The  Treatment  of  the  slaves  in  these  colonies 
at  this  time  was  regulated  by  laws  which  classed 
them  as  property,  “ being  rated  as  horses  and  hogs.” 
They  could  not  bear  arms  nor  be  admitted  to  the 
schools.  They  were  baptized  in  the  churches,  but 
this  did  not  make  them  freemen,  as  it  did  white 
serfs. 

Better  Treatment  was  given  the  slaves  as  the 
colonies  grew  older  and  were  threatened  with  wars 


26 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


It  was  thought  that  the  slaves  might  espouse  the 
cause  of  the  enemy,  and  for  this  reason  some  leni- 
ency was  shown  them,  and  the  conscience  of  the 
people  was  also  being  aroused. 

Judge  Samuel  Sewall,  a Chief  Justice  of  Massa- 
chusetts  wrote  a tract  in  1700  warning  the  people 
of  New  England  against  slavery  and  ill  treatment  of 
Negroes.  He  said  : “ Forasmuch  as  Liberty  is  in 
real  value  next  unto  Life,  none  ought  to  part  with  it 
themselves,  or  deprive  others  of  it,  but  upon  most 
mature  consideration." 

Judge  Sewall’s  tract  greatly  excited  the  New  Eng- 
land people  on  the  subject  of  emancipating  their 
slaves.  “ The  pulpit  and  the  press  were  not  silent, 
and  sermons  and  essays  in  behalf  of  the  enslaved 
Africans  were  continually  making  their  appear 
ance.” 

The  Slaves  Themselves  aroused  by  theserfewo©- 
able  utterances  from  friendly  people  made  up  po- 
tions which  they  presented  with  strong  arguments 
for  their  emancipation.  A great  many  slaves  brought 
suits  against  their  masters,  for  restraining  them  Off 
'their  liberty.  In  1774  a slave  “of  one  Caleb  Dodge," 
of  Essex  county,  brought  suit  against  his  master 
praying  for  his  liberty.  The  jury  decided  that 
there  was  “ no  law  in  the  Province  to  hold  a man  to 
serve  for  life,”  and  the  slave  of  Caleb  Dodge  won 
the  suit. 


NEGRO  RACE  TN  AMERICA. 


27 


Felix  Holbrook  and  other  slaves  presented  a 
petition  to  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Representa- 
tives in  1773,  asking  to  be  set  free  and  granted 
some  unimproved  lands  where  they  might  earn  an 
honest  living  as  freemen.  Their  petition  was  de- 
layed consideration  one  year,  and  finally  passed. 
But  the  English  governors,  Hutchinson  and  Gage, 
refused  to  sign  it,  because  they  perhaps  thought  it 
would  “ choke  the  channel  of  a commerce  in  human 
souls.” 

British  Hatred  to  Negro  freedom  thus  made  it- 
self plain  to  the  New  England  slaves,  and  a few 
years  later,  when  England  fired  her  guns  to  subdue 
the  revolution  begun  at  Lexington,  the  slave  popu- 
lation enlisted  largely  in  the  defence  of  the  colonists. 
And  thus  the  Negro  slave  by  valor,  patriotism  and 
industry,  began  to  loosen  the  chains  of  his  own 
bondage  in  the  Northern  colonies. 

PHILLIS  WHEATLEY. 

Before  passing  from  the  New  England  colonies 
it  would  be  unfortunate  to  the  readers  of  this  book 
were  they  not  made  acquainted  with  the  great  and 
wonderful  career  of  the  young  Negro  slave  who 
bore  the  above  name.  She  came  from  Africa  and 
was  sold  in  a Boston  slave  market  in  the  year  1761 
to  a kind  lady  who  was  a Mrs.  Wheatley.  As  she 
sat  with  a crowd  of  slaves  in  the  market,  naked,  save 


28 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


a piece  of  cloth  tied  about  the  loins,  her  modest,  in- 
telligent bearing  so  attracted  Mrs.  Wheatley  that 


she  selected  her  in  preference  to  all  the  others.  Her 
selection  proved  a good  one,  for,  with  clean  clothing 
and  careful  attention,  Phillis  soon  began  to  show  a 
great  desire  for  learning.  Though  only  eight  yeatS 
old,  this  young  African,  whose  race  all  the  learned 
men  said  were  incapable  of  culture,  within  little  over 
a year’s  time  so  mastered  the  English  language  as 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


29 


to  be  able  to  read  the  most  difficult  parts  of  the 
Bible  intelligently.  Her  achievements  in  two  or 
three  years  drew  the  leading  lights  of  Boston  to 
Mrs.  Wheatley’s  house,  and  with  them  Phillis  talked 
and  carried  on  correspondence  concerning  the  popu- 
lar topics  of  the  day.  Everybody  either  knew  or 
knew  of  Phillis.  She  became  skilled  in  Latin  and 
translated  one  of  Ovid’s  stories,  which  was  published 
largely  in  English  magazines.  She  published  many 
poems  in  English,  one  of  which  was  addressed  to 
General  George  Washington.  He  sent  her  the  fol- 
lowing letter  in  reply,  which  shows  that  Washington 
was  as  great  in  heart  as  in  war  : 

Cambridge,  28  February,  1776. 

“ Miss  Phillis  : — Your  favor  of  the  26th  October 
did  not  reach  my  hands  till  the  middle  of  December. 
....  I thank  you  most  sincerely  for  your  polite 
notice  of  me  in  the  elegant  lines  you  enclosed  ; and 
however  undeserving  I may  be  of  such  encomium  and 
panegyric,  the  style  and  manner  exhibit  a striking 
proof  of  your  poetical  talents,  in  honor  of  which,  and 
as  a tribute  justly  due  to  you,  I would  have  pub- 
lished the  poem,  had  I not  been  apprehensive  that, 
while  I only  meant  to  give  the  world  this  new  in- 
stance of  your  genius,  I might  have  incurred  the  im- 
putation of  vanity.  This  and  nothing  else,  deter- 
mined me  not  to  give  it  place  in  the  pu.blic  prints. 


30 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


“ If  you  should  ever  come  to  Cambridge,  or  near 
headquarters,  I shall  be  happy  to  see  a person  so 
favored  by  the  Muses,  and  to  whom  Nature  has  been, 
so  liberal  and  beneficent  in  her  dispensations.  I 
am  with  great  respect, 

“Your  humble  servant, 

“George  Washington.” 

— Williams . 

Phillis  was  emancipated  at  the  age  of  twenty-one. 
Soon  after  that  her  health  failed  and  she  was  sent 
to  Europe,  where  she  created  even  a greater  sensa- 
tion than  in  America.  Men  and  women  in  the  very 
highest  stations  of  the  Old  World  were  wonder- 
struck,  and  industriously  attentive  to  this  humble 
born  African  girl.  While  Phillis  was  away  Mrs. 
Wheatley  became  seriously  ill  and  her  daily  long- 
ings were  to  see  “ her  Phillis,”  to  whom  she  was  so 
much  devoted.  It  is  related  that  she  would  often 
turn  on  her  sick-couch  and  exclaim,  “ See  ! Look  at 
my  Phillis  ! Does  she  not  seem  as  though  she  would 
speak  to  me  ? ” Phillis  was  sent  for  to  come,  and  in 
response  to  the  multitude  of  kindnesses  done  her  by 
Mrs.  Wheatley,  she  hastened  to  her  bed-side  where 
she  arrived  just  before  Mrs.  Wheatley  died,  and 
“ shortly  had  time  to  close  her  sightless  eyes.” 

Mr.  Wheatley,  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  married 
again  and  settled  in  England.  Phillis  being  thus 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


31 


left  alone  also  married.  Her  husband  was  named 
Peters.  He,  far  inferior  to  her  in  most  every  way, 
and  becoming  jealous  of  the  favors  shown  her  by 
fhe  best  of  society,  became  very  cruel.  Phillis  did 
not  long  survive  his  harsh  treatment,  and  she  died 
“greatly  beloved”  and  mourned  on  two  continents, 
December  5,  1784,  at  the  age  of  31. 

Thus  passed  away  one  of  the  brightest  of  the  race, 
whose  life  was  as  pure  as  a crystal  and  devoted  to 
the  most  beautiful  in  poetry,  letters  and  religion,  and 
(exemplifies  the  capabilities  of  the  race. 

She  composed  this  verse: 


“’Twas  mercy  brought  me  from  my  Pagan  land, 
Taught  my  benighted  soul  to  understand 
That  there’s  a God — that  there's  a Saviour,  too  ; 
Once  I redemption  neither  sought  nor  knew.” 


Contrary  to  the  Connecticut  slaveholders  feigned 
unbelief  in  the  intellectual  capacity  of  the  Negro, 
and  their  assertions  of  his  utter  inferiority  in  all 
things,  they  early  enacted  the  most  rigid  laws  pro- 
hibiting the  teaching  of  any  Negro  to  read,  bond  or 
free,  with  a penalty  of  several  hundred  dollars  for 
every  such  act.  The  following  undeniable  story  is 
woven  into  the  fabric  of  Connecticut’s  history,  and 
tells  a sad  tale  of  the  prejudice  of  her  people  against 
the  Negro  during  the  days  of  slavery  there: 

“ Prudence  Crandall,  a young  Quaker  lady  of 


32 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THS 


talent,  was  employed  to  teach  a ‘boarding  and  day' 
school.’  While  at  her  post  of  duty  one  day,  Sarah 
Harris,  whose  father  was  a well-to-do  colored  farmer, 
applied  for  admission.  Miss  Crandall  hesitated 
somewhat  to  admit  her,  but  knowing  the  girl’s  re- 
spectability, her  lady-like  and  modest  deportment, 
for  she  was  a member  of  the  white  people’s  church 
and  well  known  to  them,  she  finally  told  her  yes. 
The  girl  came.  Soon  Miss  Crandall  was  called  upon 
by  the  patrons,  announcing  their  disgust  and  loath- 
ing that  their  daughters  should  attend  school  with  a 
‘nigger  girl.’  Miss  Crandall  protested,  but.  to  no 
avail.  The  white. pupils  were  finally  taken  from  the 
school.  Miss  Crandall  then  opened  a school  for 
colored  ladies.  She  enrolled  about  twenty,  but  they 
were  subjected  to  many  outrageous  insults.  They 
were  denied  accommodation  altogether  in  the  village 
of  Canterbury.  Their  well  was  filled  up  with  trash, 
and  all  kinds  of  unpleasant  and  annoying  acts  were 
thrust  upon  them.  The' people  felt  determined  that 
Canterbury  should  not  have  the  disgrace  of  a col- 
ored school.  No,  not  even  the  State  of  Connecti- 
cut. Miss  Crandall  sent  to  Brooklyn  to  some  of  her 
friends.  They  pleaded  in  her  behalf  privately,  and 
went  to  a town  meeting  to  speak  for  her,  but  were 
denied  the  privilege.  Finally,  the  Legislature 
passed  a.  law  prohibiting  colored  schools  in  the 
State.  From  the  advice  of  her  friends  and  her  own 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


38 


strong  will,  Miss  Crandall  continued  to  teach.  She 
was  arrested  and  her  friends  were  sent  for.  They 
came,  but  would  not  be  persuaded  by  the  sheriff  and 
other  officers  to  stand  her  bond.  The  people  saw 
the  disgrace  and  felt  ashamed  to  have  it  go  down  in 
history  that  she  was  put  in  jail.  In  agreement  with 
Miss  Crandall’s  wishes  her  friends  still  persisted,  so 
about  night  she  was  put  in  jail,  into  a murderer’s 
cell.  The  news  flashed  over  the  country,  much  to 
the  Connecticut  people’s  chagrin  and  disgrace.  She 
had  her  trial — the  court  evaded  giving  a decision. 
She  opened  her  school  again,  and  an  attempt  was 
made  to  burn  up  the  building  while  she  and  the 
pupils  were  there,  but  proved  unsuccessful.  One 
night  about  midnight  they  were  aroused  to  find 
themselves  besieged  by  persons  with  heavy  iron 
bars  and  clubs  breaking  the  windows  and  tearing 
things  to  pieces.  It  was  then  thought  unwise  to 
continue  the  school  longer.  So  the  doors  were 
closed,  and  the  poor  girls,  whose  only  offence  was  a 
manifestation  for  knowledge,  were  sent  to  their 
homes.  This  law,  however,  was  repealed  in  1838, 
after  lasting  five  years. 


84 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  V 

N EW  HAMPSHIRE  AND  MARYLAND. 

New  Hampshire  slaves  were  very  few  in  num- 
ber. The  people  of  this  colony  saw  the  evils  of 
slavery  very  early,  and  passed  laws  against  their 
importation.  Massachusetts  was  having  so  much 
trouble  with  her  slaves  that  the  New  Hampshire 
people  early  made  up  their  minds  that,  as  a matter 
of  business  as  well  as  of  humanity,  they  had  best 
not  try  to  build  up  their  colony  by  dealing  in  human 
flesh  and  blood. 

Maryland  was,  up  to  1630,  a part  of  Virginia, 
and  slavery  there  partook  of  the  same  features. 
Owing  to  the  feeling  existing  in  the  colony  between 
the  Catholics,  who  planted  it,  and  the  Protestants, 
the  slaves  were  treated  better  than  in  some  other 
provinces.  Yet  their  lot  was  a hard  one  at  best. 
By  law,  a white  person  could  kill  a slave,  and  not 
suffer  death;  only  pay  a fine. 

White  Slaves  existed  in  this  colony,  many  of 
whom  came  as  criminals  from  England.  They,  it 
seems,  were  chiefly  domestic  servants,  while  the 
Negroes  worked  the  tobacco  fields. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


86 


BENJAMIN  BANNEKA,  ASTRONOMER  AND 
MATHEMATICIAN. 

Banneka  was  born  in  Maryland  in  the  year  1731. 
An  English  woman  named  Molly  Welsh,  who  came 
to  Maryland  as  an  emigrant,  is  said  to  have  been 
his  maternal  grandmother.  This  woman  was  sold 
as  a slave  to  pay  her  passage  to  this  country  on 
board  an  emigrant  ship,  and  after  serving  out  her 
term  of  slavery  she  bought  two  Negro  slaves  her- 
self. These  slaves  were  men  of  extraordinary 
powers,  both  of  mind  and  body.  One  of  them,  said 
to  be  the  son  of  an  African  king,  was  set  free  by 
her,  and  she  soon  married  him.  There  were  four 
children,  and  one  of  them,  named  Mary,  married  a 
native  African,  Robert  Banneka,  who  was  the  father 
of  Benjamin. 

The  School  Daysof  young  Benjamin  were  spent 
in  a “pay  school,”  where  some  colored  children 
were  admitted.  The  short  while  that  Benjamin 
was  there  he  learned  to  love  his  books,  and  when 
the  other  children  played  he  was  studying.  He 
was  very  attentive  to  his  duties  on  his  father’s  farm, 
and  when  through  with  his  task  of  caring  for  the 
horses  and  cows,  he  would  spend  his  leisure  hours 
in  reading  books,  and  papers  on  the  topics  of  the 
day. 


36 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


The  Post-Office  was  the  famous  gathering  place 
in  those  days,  and  there  it  was  that  young  Benjamin 
was  accustomed  to  go.  He  met  many  of  the  lead- 
ing  people  of  the  community,  and  fluently  discussed 
with  them  difficult  questions.  He  could  answer 
almost  any  problem  put  to  him  in  mathematics,  and 
became  known  throughout  the  colonies  as  a, genius. 
Many  of  his  answers  to  questions  were  beyond  the 
reach  of  ordinary  minds. 

Messrs.  Ellicott  & Co.,  who  built  flour  mills  on 
the  Patapsco  River  near  Baltimore,  very  early  dis- 
covered Banneka’s  genius,  and  Mr.  George  Ellicott 
allowed  him  the  use  of  his  library  and  astronomical 
instruments.  The  result  of  this  was  that  Benjamin 
Banneka  published  his  first  almanac  in  the  year 
1792,  said  to  be  the  first  almanac  published  in 
America.  Before  that  he  had  made  numerous  cal- 
culations in  astronomy  and  constructed  for.  himself 
a splendid  clock  that,  unfortunately,  was  burned 
with  his  dwelling  soon  after  his  death. 

Banneka’ s Reputation  spread  all  over  America 
and  even  to  Europe.  He  drew  to  him  the  associa- 
tion of  the  best  and  most  learned  men  of  his  coun- 
try. His  ability  was  a curiosity  to  everybody,  and 
did  much  to  establish  the  fact  that  the  Negro  of  his 
time  could  master  the  arts  and  sciences.  It  is  said 
that  he  was  the  master  of  five  different  languages, 
as  well  as  a mathematical  and  astronomical  genius. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


37 


He  accompanied  and  assisted  the  commissioners 
who  surveyed  the  District  of  Columbia. 

He  sent  Mr  Thomas  Jefferson  one  of  his  alma- 
nacs, which  Mr  Jefferson  prized  so  highly  that  he 
sent  it  to  Paris,  and  wrote  Mr.  Banneka  the  following 
letter  in  reply  Along  with  Mr.  Banneka’s  almanac 
to  Mr.  Jefferson  he  sent  a letter  pleading  for  better 
treatment  of  the  people  of  African  descent  in  the 
United  States. 

mr.  Jefferson’s  letter  to  b.  banneka. 

Philadelphia,  August  30,  1791. 

“ Dear  Sir ■ — I thank  you  sincerely  for  your  letter 
of  the  19th  instant,  and  for  the  almanac  it  contained. 
Nobody  wishes  more  than  I do  to  see  such  proofs 
as  you  exhibit  that  Nature  has  given  to  our  black 
brethren  talents  equal  to  those  of  the  other  colors 
of  men,  and  that  the  appearance  of  a want  of  them 
is  owing  only  to  the  degraded  condition  of  their 
existence,  both  in  Africa  and  America  I can  add, 
with  truth,  that  no  one  wishes  more  ardently  to  see 
a good  system  commenced  for  raising  the  condition, 
both  of  their  body  and  mind,  to  what  it  ought  to  be, 
as  fast  as  the  imbecility  of  their  present  existence, 
and  other  circumstances  which  cannot  be  neglected, 
will  admit.  T have  taken  the  liberty  of  sending  your 
almanac  to  Monsieur  de  Cordorat,  Secretary  of  the 
Academy  of  Sciences  at  Paris  and  member  of  the 


38 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Philanthropic  Society,  because  I considered  it  a doc- 
ument to  which  your  whole  color  had  a right  for 
their  justification  against  the  doubts  which  have  been 
entertained  of  them. 

“ I am,  with,  great  esteem,  sir, 

“Your  most  obedient  servant, 

“Thos.  Jefferson.’’ 

Mr.  Benjamin  Banneka,  near  Ellicott's 
Lower  Mills , Baltimore  County. 


The  Personal  Appearance  of  Mr.  Banneka  is 
drawn  from  the  letters  of  those  who  wrote  about 
him.  A certain  gentleman  who  met  him  at  Ellicott’s 
Mills  gives  this  description  : “ Of  black  complexion, 
medium  stature,  of  uncommonly  soft  and  gentle- 
manly manners,  and  of  pleasing  colloquial  powers.” 

Mr.  Banneka  died  about  the  year  1804,  very 
greatly  mourned  by  the  people  of  this  country  and 
Europe.  He  left  two  sisters,  who,  according  to  his 
request,  turned  over  his  books,  papers,  and  astro- 
nomical calculations  to  Mr.  Ellicott.  There  has  been 
no  greater  mind  in  the  possession  of  any  American 
citizen  than  that  of  Benjamin  Banneka.  He  stands 
out  in  history  as  one  of  those  phenomenal  characters 
whose  achievements  seem  to  be  nothing  short  of 
miraculous. 

Frances  Ellen  Watkins  was  another  of  Mary- 
lan  I s bright  slaves.  She  distinguished  herself  as 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA 


39 


an  anti-slavery  lecturer  in  the  Eastern  States,  and 
wrote  a book  entitled,  “ Poems  and  Miscellaneous 
Writings;  By  Frances  Ellen  Watkins.''  In  that  book 
was  the  following  poem  entitled  " Ellen  Harris:” 


(1)  Like  a fawn  from  the  arrow,  startled  and  wild, 

A woman  swept  by  me  bearing  a child  , 

In  her  eye  was  the  night  of  a Settled  despair, 

And  her  brow  was  overshadowed  with  anguish  and  care. 

(2)  She  was  nearing. the  riv.er, — on  reaching  the  brink 
She  heeded  no  danger,  she  paused  not  to  think  1 
For  she  is  a mother — her  child  is  a slave,— 

And  she’ll  give  him  his  freedom  or  find  him  a grave ! 

(3)  But  she’s  free,— yes,  free  from  the  land  where  the  slave 
From  the  hand  of  oppression  must  rest  in  the  grave  ; 
Where  bondage  and  torture,  where  scourges  and  chains, 
Have  placed  on  our  banner  indelible  stains. 

(4)  The  blood-hounds  have  missed  the  scent  of  her  way; 
The  hunter  is  rifled  and  foiled  of  his  prey  ; 

Fierce  jargon  and  cursing,  with  clanking  of  chains, 

Make  sounds  of  strange  discord  on  Liberty’s  plains. 

(5)  With  the  rapture  of  love  and  fulness  of  bliss, 

She  placed  on  his  brow  a mother’s  fond  kiss, — 

Oh  ! poverty,  danger,  and  death  she  can  brave. 

For  the  child  of  her  love  is  no  longer  a slave  ! 


40 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  VI. 

DELAWARE  AND  PENNSYLVANIA. 

Delaware  was  settled,  as  you  will  remember,  by 
the  Swedes  and  Danes,  in  1639.  They  were  a sim- 
ple, contented,  and  religious  people.  It  is  recorded 
that  they  had  a law  very  early  in  their  history  de- 
claring it  was  “ not  lawful  to  buy  and  keep  slaves.” 
It  is  very  evident,  though,  that  later  on  in  the  history 
of  the  colony  slaves  were  held,  and  their  condition 
was  the  same  as  in  New  York.  While  the  north  of 
the  colony  was  perhaps  fully  in  sympathy  with  sla- 
very, the  western  part  was  influenced  by  the  relig- 
ious sentiment  of  the  Quakers  in  Pennsylvania. 

The  Friends  of  Pennsylvania  were  opposed  to 
slavery,  and  although  slavery  was  tolerated  by  law, 
the  way  was  left  open  for  their  education  and  re- 
ligious training.  In  1688,  Francis  Daniel  Pastor ious* 
addressed  a memorial  to  the  Friends  of  German- 
town. • His  was  said  to  be  the  first  protest  against 
slavery  made  by  any  of  the  churches  of  America. 
He  believed  that  “ slave  and  slave-owner  should  be 
equal  at  the  Master’s  feet.” 

William  Penn  showed  himself  friendly  to  the 
slaves. 


* Williams. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


41 


CHAPTER  VII. 

NORTH  CAROLINA. 

This  colony,  in  geographical  position,  lies  be- 
tween South  Carolina  and  Virginia.  While  it  held 
slaves,  it  may  be  justly  said  its  position  on  this  great 
question  was  not  so  burdensome  to  the  slave  as  the 
other  Southern  colonies,  and  even  to  the  present 
time  the  Negroes  and  whites  of  this  State  seem  to 
enjoy  the  most  harmonious  relations.  The  slave 
laws  of  this  State  gave  absolute  dominion  of  the 
master  over  the  servant,  but  allowed  him  to  join  the 
churches  from  the  first.  Large  communities  of  free 
Negroes  lived  in  this  State  prior  to  the  civil  war, 
and,  as  late  as  the  year  1835,  could  vote.  They  had 
some  rights  of  citizenship  and  many  of  them  became 
men  of  note.  ■ 

Prior  to  the  Civil  War  there  were  schools  for 
these  free  people.  Some  of  them  owned  slaves 
themselves.  In  this  colony  the  slaves  were  worked, 
as  a rule,  on  small  farms,  and  there  was  a close  re- 
lation established  between  master  and  slave,  which 
bore  its  fruits  in  somewhat  milder  treatment  than 
was  customary  in  colonies  where  the  slave  lived  on 


42 


A SCHOOL  BISTORT  OF  TEE 


large  cotton  plantations  governed  by  cruel  over- 
seers, some  of  whom  were  imported  from  the  North. 

The  Eastern  Section  of  North  Carolina  was 
thickly  peopled  with  slaves,  and  some  landlords 
tfwned  as  many  as  two  thousand. 

The  increase  and  surplusage  of  the  slave  popula- 
tion in  this  State  was  sold  to  the  more  Southern 
colonies,  where  they  were  used  on  the  cotton  plan- 
tations. 

A NORTH  CAROLINA  SLAVE  POET. 

George  M.  Horton  was  his  name.  He  was  the 
slave  of  James  M.  Horton,  of  Chatham  county,  N. 
C.  Several  of  his  special  poems  were  published  in 
the  Raleigh  Register.  In  1829,  A.  M.  Gales,  of  this 
State,  afterwards  of  the  firm  of  Gales  and  Seaton, 
Washington,  D.  C.,  published  a volume  of  die  slave 
Horton’s  poems,  which  excited  the  wonder  and  ad- 
miration of  the  best  men  in  this  country.  His 
poems  reached  Boston,  where  they  were  much  talked 
of,  and  used  as  an  argument  against  slavery.  Hor 
ton,  at  the  time  his  volume  was  published,  could 
read  but  not  write,  and  was,  therefore,  compelled  to 
dictate  his  productions  to  some  one  who  wrote  them 
down  for  him.  He  afterwards  learned  to  write. 
He  seemed  to  have  concealed  all  his  achievements 
from  his  master,  who  knew  nothing  of  his  slaves 
ability  except  what  others  told  himt  He  simply 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


43 


knew  George  as  a field  hand,  which  work  he  did 
faithfully  and  honestly,  and  wrote  his  poetry  too. 
Though  a slave,  his  was  a noble  soul  inspired  with 
the  Muse  from  above.  The  Raleigh  Register  said 
of  him,  July  2d,  1829:  “That  his  heart  has  felt 
deeply  and  sensitively  in  this  lowest  possible  condi- 
tion of  human  nature  (meaning  slavery)  will  be 
easily  believed,  and  is  impressively  confirmed  by 
one  of  his  stanzas,  viz. : 


“ Come,  melting  pity  from  afar. 

And  break  this  vast,  enormous  bar 
Between  a wretch  and  thee ; 
Purchase  a few  short  days  of  time, 
And  bid  a vassal  soar  sublime 
Ob  wings  of  Liberty.* 


44 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THFT 


CHATTER  VIII. 

SOUTH  CAROLINA. 

Charters  for  the  settlement  of  North  and  South 
Carolina  were  obtained  at  the  same  time — 1663. 
Slavery  commenced  with  the  colony.  Owing  to  the 
peculiar  fitness  of  the  soil  for  the  production  of  rice 
and  cotton,  slave  labor  was  in  great  demand.  White 
labor  failed,  and  the  colony  was  marvellously  pros- 
perous tinder  the  slave  system.  Negroes  were  im- 
ported from  Africa  by  the  thousands.  Their  labor 
proved  very  productive,  and  here  it  was  that  the 
slave  code  reached  its  maximum  of  harshness, 

A Negro  Regiment  in  the  service  of  Spain  was 
doing  duty  in  Florida,  and  through  it  the  Spanish, 
who  were  at  dagger’s  ends  with  the  British  colonies, 
sent  out  spies  who  offered  inducements  to  such  of 
the  South  Carolina  slaves  as  would  run  away  and 
join  them.  Many  slaves  ran  away.  Very  rigid  and 
extreme  laws  were  passed  to  prevent  slaves  from 
running  away,  such  as  branding,  and  cutting  the 
“ ham-string  ” of  the  leg. 

A Riot  followed  the  continued  cruel  treatment 
of  the  slaves  under  the  runaway  code  ; 1 748  is  said 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


45 


to  have  been  the  year  in  which  a crowd  of  slaves 
assembled  in  the  village  of  Stono,  slew  the  guards 
at  the  arsenal  and  secured  the  ammunition  there. 
They  then  marched  to  the  homes  of  several  leading 
men  whom  they  murdered,  together  with  their  wives 
and  children.  The  slaves  captured  considerable 
rum  in  their  plundering  expedition,  and  having  in- 
dulged very  freely,  stopped  for  a frolic,  and  in  the 
midst  of  their  hilarity  were  captured  by  the  whites, 
and  thus  ended  the  riot. 

The  Discontent  of  the  Slaves  grew,  however, 
in  spite  of  the  speedy  ending  of  this  attempt  at  in- 
surrection. Cruel  and  inhuman  treatment  was  bear- 
ing its  fruits  in  a universal  dissatisfaction  of  the 
slaves,  and  in  South  Carolina,  as  in  Massachusetts, 
it  began  to  be  a serious  question  as  to  what  side  the 
slaves  would  take  in  the  war  of  the  coming  Revolu 
tion.  England  offered  freedom  and  money  to  slaves 
who  would  join  her  army.  The  people  of  South 
Carolina  did  not  wait  long  before  they  allowed  the 
Negroes  to  enlist  in  defence  of  the  colonies,  and 
highly  complimented  their  valor.  If  a slave  killed 
a Briton  he  was  emancipated  ; if  he  were  taken 
prisoner  and  escaped  back  into  the  Province,  he  waei 
also  set  free. 


46 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  IX. 

GEORGIA. 

From  the  time  of  its  settlement  in  1732  till  1750 
[this  colony  held  no  slaves.  Many  of  the  inhabitants 
were  anxious  for  the  introduction  of  slaves,  and 
when  the  condition  of  the  colony  finally  became 
hopeless  they  sent  many  long  petitions  to  the  Trus- 
tees, stating  that  “ the  one  thing  needful  ” for  their 
prosperity  was  Negroes.  It  was  a long  time  before 
the  Trustees  would  give  their  consent ; they  said  that 
the  colony  of  Georgia  was  designed  to  be  a protec- 
tion to  South  Carolina  and  the  other  more  Northern 
colonies  against  the  Spanish,  who  were  then  occupy- 
ing Florida,  and  if  the  colonists  had  to  control  slaves 
it  would  weaken  their  power  to  defend  themselves. 
Finally,  owing  to  the  hopeless  condition  of  the 
Georgia  colony,  the  Trustees  yielded.  Slaves  were 
introduced  in  large  numbers, 

Prosperity  came  with  the  slaves,  and,  as  in  the 
case  of  Virginia,  the  colony  of  Georgia  took  a ffesh 
start  and  began  to  prosper.  White  labor  proved  a 
failure.  It  was  the  honest  and  faithful  toil  of  the 
Negro  that  turned  the  richness  of  Georgia’s  soil  into 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


47 


English  gold,  built  cities  and  created  large  estates, 
gilded  mansions  furnished  with  gold  and  silver 
plate.* 

Oglethorpe  Planned  the  Georgia  colony  as  a 
home  for  Englishmen  who  had  failed  in  business  and 
were  imprisoned  for  their  debts.  These  English 
people  were  out  of  place  in  the  wild  woods  of 
America,  and  continued  a failure  in  America,  as  well 
as  in  England,  until  the  toiling  but  “ heathen  ” Afri- 
can came  to  their  aid. 

Cotton  Plantations  were  numerous  in  Georgia 
under  the  slave  system.  The  slave-owners  had 
large  estates,  numbering  thousands  of  acres  in  many 
cases.  The  slaves  were  experts  in  the  culture  of 
cotton.  The  climate  was  adapted  to  sugar-cane  and 
rice,  both  of  which  were  raised  in  abundance. 


* The  famous  minister,  George  Whitfield,  referring  to  his  plantation  in 
this  colony,  said  : “ Upward  of  five  thousand  pounds  have  been  expended  in 
the  undertaking,  and  yet  very  little  proficiency  made  in  the  cultivation  of  my 
tract  of  land,  and  that  entirely  owing  to  the  necessity  I lay  under  of  making 
use  of  white  hands.  Had  a Negro  been  allowed  1 should  now  have  had  a 
sufficiency  to  support  a great  many  orphans,  without  expending  above  half  the 
sum  which  had  been  laid  out.”  He  purchased  a plantation  in  South  Caro- 
lina, where  slavery  existed,  and  speaks  of  it  thus;  “ Blessed  be  God!  This 
plantation  has  succeeded;  and  though  at  present  I have  only  eight  working 
hands,  yet,  in  all  probability,  there  will  be  more  raised  in  one  year,  and  with- 
out a quarter  of  the  expense,  than  has  been  produced  at  Bethesda  for  several 
years  past.  This  confirms  me  in  the  opinion  1 have  entertained  for  a long 
time,  that  Georgia  never  can  or  will  be  a flourishing  province  without  Ne- 
groes are  allowed." 


48 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


blount’s  fort. 

This  fortification,  erected  by  some  of  the  armies 
during  the  early  colonial  wars,  had  been  abandoned. 
It  lies  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Apalachicola  river  in 
Florida,  forty  miles  from  the  Georgia  line.  Negro 
refugees  from  Georgia  fled  into  the  everglades  of 
Florida  as  a hiding-place  during  the  war  of  the 
Revolution.  In  these  swamps  they  remained  for 
forty  years  successfully  baffling  all  attempts  to  re- 
enslave them.  Many  of  those  who  planned  the 
escape  at  first  were  now  dead,  and  their  children  had 
grown  up  to  hate  the  lash  and  love  liberty.  Their 
parents  had  taught  them  that  to  die  in  the  swamps 
with  liberty  was  better  than  to  feast  as  a bondman 
and  a slave.  When  Blount’s  Fort  was  abandoned 
and  taken  possension  of  by  these  children  of  the 
swamp,  there  were  three  hundred  and  eleven  of 
them,  out  of  which  not  more  than  twenty  had  ever 
been  slaves.  They  were  joined  by  other  slaves  who 
ran  away  as  chance  permitted.  The  neighboring 
slave-holders  attempted  to  capture  these  people  but 
failed.  They  finally  called  on  the  President  of  the 
United  States  for  aid.  General  Jackson,  then  com- 
mander of  the  Southern  militia,  delegated  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  Clinch  to  take  the  fort  and  reduce 
these  people  to  slavery  again.  His  sympathies 
being  with  the  refugees,  he  marched  to  the  fort  and 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


49 


returned,  reporting  that  “ the  fortification  was  not 
accessible  by  land.” 

Commodore  Patterson  next  received  orders. 
He  commanded  the  American  fleet,  then  lying  in 
Mobile  Bay.  A “ sub-order  was  given  instantly  to 
Lieutenant  Loomis  to  ascend  the  Apalachicola  river 
with  two  gun-boats,  to  seize  the  people  in  Blount’s 
Fort,  deliver  them  to  their  owners,  and  destroy  the 
fort.”  At  early  dawn  on  the  morning  of  September 
the  17th,  1816,  the  two  boats,  with  full  sail  catching 
a gende  breeze,  moved  up  the  river  towards  the  fort. 
They  lowered  a boat  on  their  arrival  and  twelve 
men  went  ashore.  They  were  met  at  the  water’s 
edge  and  asked  their  errand  by  a number  of  the 
leading  men  of  the  fort.  Lieutenant  Loomis  in- 
formed them  that  he  came  to  destroy  the  fort  and 
turn  oyer  its  inmates  to  the  “ slave-holders,  then  on 
board  the  gun-boat,  who  claimed  them  as  fugitive 
slaves.”  The  demand  was  rejected.  The  colored 
men  returned  to  the  fort  and  informed  the  inmates. 
Great  consternation  prevailed.  The  women  were 
much  distressed,  but  amid  the  confusion  and  ex- 
citement there  appeared  an  aged  father  whose  back 
bore  the  print  of  the  lash,  and  whose  shoulder  bore 
the  brand  of  his  master.  He  assured  the  people 
that  theJ  fort  could  not  be  taken,  and  ended  his 
speech  with  these  patriotic  words  : “Give  me  liberty, 
or  give  me  death.”  The  shout  went  up  from  the 


50 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


entire  fort  as  from  one  man,  and  they  prepared  to 
face  the  enemy. 

The  Gun-boats  Soon  Opened  Fire.  For  sev- 
eral hours  they  buried  balls  in  the  earthen  walls 
and  injured  no  one.  Bombs  were  then  fired.  These 
had  more  effect,  as  there  was  no  shelter  from  them. 
Mothers  were  more  careful  to  hug  their  young 
babies  closer  to  their  bosoms.  All  this  seemed  little 
more  than  sport  for  the  inmates  of  the  fort,  who  saw 
nothing  but  a joke  in  it  after  shelter  had  been 
found. 

Lieutenant  Loomis  saw  his  failure.  He  had  a 
consultation,  and  it  was  agreed  to  fire  “ hot  shot  at 
the  magazine.”  So  the  furnaces  were  heated  and 
the  fiery  flames  began  to  whizz  through  the  air. 
This  last  stroke  was  effectual ; the  hot  shot  set  the 
magazine  on  fire,  and  a terrible  explosion  covered 
the  entire  place  with  debris.  Many  were  instantly 
killed  by  the  falling  earth  and  timbers.  The  man- 
gled limbs  of  mothers  and  babies  lay  side  by  side. 
It  was  now  dark.  Fifteen  persons  in  the  fort  had 
survived  the  explosion.  The  sixty  sailors  and  offi- 
cers now  entered,  trampling  over  the  wounded  and 
dying,  and  took  these  fifteen  refugees  in  handcuffs 
and  ropes  back  to  the  boats.  The  dead,  wounded 
and  dying  were  left. 

As  the  two  boats  moved  away  from  this  scene  of 
carnage  the  sight  weakened  the  veteran  sailors  on 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


51 


board  the  boats,  and  when  the  officers  retired  these 
weather-worn  sailor  veterans  “gathered  before  the 
mast,  and  loud  and  bitter  were  the  curses  uttered 
against  slavery  and  against  the  officers  of  the  govern- 
ment who  had  thus  constrained  them  to  murder  inno- 
cent women  and  helpless  children,  merely  for  their 
love  of  liberty.” 

The  Dead  Remained  unburied  in  the  fort.  The 
wounded  and  dying  were  not  cared  for,  and  all  were 
left  as  fat  prey  for  vultures  to  feast  upon.  For 
fifty  years  afterward  the  bones  of  these  brave  people 
lay  bleaching  in  the  sun.  Twenty  years  after  the 
murder  a Representative  in  Congress  from  one  of 
the  free  States  introduced  a bill  giving  a gratuity 
to  the  perpetrators  of  this  crime.  The  bill  passed 
both  houses. 


Having  briefly  considered  the  establishment  of 
slavery  in  the  colonies,  where  the  Negro  slave  was 
employed  in  every  menial  occupation,  and  where 
he  accepted  the  conditions  imposed  upon  him  with 
a full  knowledge  of  the  wrong  done,  but  still  jubi- 
lant with  songs  of  hope  for  deliverance,  and  trust 
in  God,  whose  promises  are  many  to  the  faithful, 
let  us  turn  to 

The  War  of  the  Revolution,  which  soon  came 


52 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


on ; and  in  it  Providence  no  doubt  designed  an 
opportunity  for  the  race  to  loosen  the  rivets  in  the 
chains  that  bound  them.  They  made  good  use  of 
this  opportunity. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


63 


CHAPTER  X. 

HABITS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  SOUTHERN 
COLONIES. 

Barnes  gives  the  following  account  of  the  habits 
and  customs  of  the  Southern  colonies  during  the 
days  of  slavery : 

“ The  Southern  Colonists  differed  widely  from 
the  Northern  in  habits  and  style  ofliving.  In  place 
of  thickly-settled  towns  and  villages,  they  had  large 
plantations,  and  were  surrounded  by  . a numerous 
household  of  servants.  The  Negro  quarters  formed 
a hamlet  apart,  with  its  gardens  and  poultry  yards. 
An  estate  in  those  days  was  a little  empire.  The 
planter  had  among  his  slaves  men  of  every  trade, 
and  they  made  most  of  the  articles  needed  for  com- 
mon use  upon  the  plantation.  There  were  large 
sheds  for  curing  tobacco,  and  mills  for  grinding 
corn  and  wheat.  The  tobacco  was  put  up  and  con- 
signed directly  to  England.  The  flour  of  the  Mount 
Vernon  estate  was  packed  under  the  eye  of  Wash- 
ington himself,  and  we  are  told  that  barrels  of  flour 
bearing  his  brand  passed  in  the  West  India  market 
without  inspection. 


54 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


“Up  the  Ashley  and  Cooper  (near  Charles- 
ton) were  the  remains  of  the  only  bona  fide  nobility 
ever  established  on  our  soil.  There  the  descend- 
ants of  the  Landgraves,  who  received  their  title  in 
accordance  with  Locke’s  grand  model,  occupied 
their  manorial  dwellings.  Along  the  banks  of  the 
James  and  Rappahannock  the  plantation  often 
passed  from  father  to  son,  according  to  the  law  of 
entail. 

“ The  heads  of  these  great  Southern  families  lived 
like  lords,  keeping  their  packs  of  choice  hunting 
dogs,  and  their  stables  of  blooded  horses,  and  roll- 
ing to  church  or  town  in  their  coach  of  six,  with 
outriders  on  horseback.  Their  spacious  mansions 
were  sometimes  built  of  imported  brick.  Within, 
the  grand  staircases,  the  mantels,  and  the  wainscot, 
reaching  in  a quaint  fashion  from  floor  to  ceiling, 
were  of  mahogany  elaborately  carved  and  paneled. 
The  sideboards  shone  with  gold  and  silver  plate 
and  the  tables  were  loaded  with  the  luxuries  of  the 
Old  World.  Negro  servants  thronged  about,  ready 
to  perform  every  task. 

“All  labor  was  done  by  Slaves,  it  being  con- 
sidered degrading  for  a white  man  to  work.  Even 
the  superintendence  of  the  plantation  and  slaves 
was  generally  committed  to  overseers,  while  the 
master  dispensed  a generous  hospitality,  and  occu- 
pied himself  with  social  and  political  life.” 


NEGRO  RACE  TV  AMERICA. 


65 


SLAVERY  INTRODUCED  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

In  Virginia,  the  last  of  August,  1619. 

In  New  York,  1 628. 

In  Massachusetts,  1637 
In  Maryland,  i 634. 

In  Delaware,  1636. 

In  Connecticut,  between  1631  and  1636. 

In  Rhode  Island  from  the  beginning,  1647. 

New  Jersey,  not  known ; as  early  though  as  ini 
New  Netherland. 

South  Carolina  and  North  Carolina  from  the  ear- 
liest days  of  existence. 

In  New  Hampshire,  slavery  existed  fr-om  the  be- 
ginning. 

Pennsylvania  doubtful. 


56 


A SCHOOL  HISTOR  ? OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XI. 

NEGRO  SOLDIERS  IN  REVOLUTIONARY 
TIMES. 

Objections  to  Enlisting  Negroes  caused  much 
discussion  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.  The  Northern  colonies  partially  favored  their 
enlistment  because  they  knew  of  their  bravery,  and 
rightly  reasoned  that  if  the  Negroes  were  not  allowed 
to  enlist  in  the  Colonial  army,  where  their  sympa- 
thies were,  they  would  accept  the  propositions  of 
the  British,  who  promised  freedom  to  every  slave 
who  would  desert  his  master  and  join  the  English 
army. 

Lord  Dunmore,  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  the 
other  British  leaders,  saw  a good  chance  to  weaken 
the  strength  of  the  colonies  by  offering  freedom  to 
the  slaves  if  they  would  fight  for  England.  They 
knew  that  the  slaves  would  be  used  to  throw  up 
fortifications,  do  fatigue  duties,  and  raise  the  provi- 
sions necessary  to  support  the  Colonial  army.  So 
Lord  Dunmore  issued  a proclamation  offeririg  free- 
dom to  all  slaves  who  would  join  his  army.  As  the 
result  of  this,  Thomas  Jefferson  is  quoted  as  saying 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


that  30,000  Negroes  from  Virginia  alone  joined  the 
British  ranks. 

The  Americans  became  fearful  of  the  results 
that  were  sure  to  follow  the  plans  of  Lord  Dun- 
more.  Sentiment  began  to  change  in  the  Negro’s 
favor ; the  newspapers  were  filled  with  kind  words 
for  the  slaves,  trying  to  convince  them  that  the 
British  Government  had  forced  slavery  upon  the 
colonies  against  their  will,  and  that  their  best  inte- 
rests were  centred  in  the  triumph  of  the  Colonial 
army.  A part  of  an  article  in  one  paper,  headed 
“Caution  to  the  Negro,”  read  thus:  “Can  it,  then, 
be  supposed  that  the  Negroes  will  be  better  used 
by  the  English,  who  have  always  encouraged  and 
upheld  this  slavery,  than  by  their  present  masters, 
who  pity  their  condition ; who  wish  in  general  to 
make  it  as  easy  and  comfortable  as  possible,  and 
who  would,  were  it  in  their  power,  or  were  they  per- 
mitted, not  only  prevent  any  snore  Negroes  from 
losing  their  freedom,  but  restore  it  to  such  as  have 

already  unhappily  lost  it They  will  send  the 

Negroes  to  the  West  Indies  where  every  year  they 
sell  many  thousands  of  their  miserable  brethren. 
Be  not  tempted,  ye  Negroes,  to  ruin  yourselves  by 
this  proclamation !”  The  colonies  finally  allowed 
the  enlistment  of  Negroes,  their  masters  being  paid 
for  them  out  of  the  public  treasury.  Those  slaves 
who  had  already  joined  the  British  were  offered 


68 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


pardon  if  they  would  escape  and  return,  and  a severe 
punishment  was  to  be  inflicted  on  those  who  left  the 
colony  if  they  were  caught. 

To  Offset  the  Plans  of  Lord  Dunmore,  the 
Americans  proposed  to  organize  a Negro  army,  to 
be  commanded  by  the  brave  Colonel  Laurens  ; and 
on  this  subject  the  following  letter  was  addressed  to 
John  Jay,  President  of  Congress,  by  the  renowned 
Alexander  Hamilton.  This  letter  also  shows  in 
what  esteem  the  Negro  slave  of  America  was  held 
by  men  of  note : 


“ Headquarters,  March  14,  1779. 

“ To.  John  Jay . 

“Dear"  Sir:- — Col.  Laurens,  who  will  have  the 
honor  of  delivering  you  this  letter,  is  on  his  way  to 
South  Carolina  on  a project  which  I think,  in  the 
present  situation  of  affairs  there,  is  a very  good  one, 
and  deserves  every  kind  of  support  and  encourage- 
ment. This  is,  to  raise  two,  or  three,  or  four  battalions 
of  Negroes,  with  the  assistance  of  the  government 
of  that  State,  by  contributions  from  the  owners  in 
proportion  to  the  number  they  possess.  If  you 
think  proper  to  enter  upon  the  subject  with  him,  he 
will  give  you  a detail  of  his  plan.  He  wishes  to  have 
it  recommended  by  Congress  and  the  State,  and,  as 
all  inducement,  they  should  engage  to  take  those 
battalions  into  Continental  pay. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


59 


“It  appears  to  me  that  an  experiment  of  this  kind, 
in  the  present  state  of  Southern  affairs,  is  the  most 
rational  that  can  be  adopted,  and  promises  very 
important  advantages.  Indeed,  I hardly  see  how  a 
sufficient  force  can  be  collected  in  that  quarter 
without  it,  and  the  enemy’s  operations  are  growing 
infinitely  more  serious  and  formidable.  I have  not 
the  least  doubt  that  the  Negroes  will  make  very 
excellent  soldiers  with  proper  management,  and  I 
will  venture  to  pronounce  that  they  cannot  be  put 
in  better  hands  than  those  of  Mr.  Laurens.  He  has 
all  the  zeal,  intelligence,  enterprise,  and  every  other 
qualification  necessary  to  succeed  in  such  an  under- 
taking. It  is  a maxim  with  some  great  military 
judges  that,  “with  sensible  officers,  soldiers  can 
hardly  be  too  stupid ; ” and,  on  this  principle,  it  is 
thought  that  the  Russians  would  make  the  best 
troops  in  the  world  if  they  were  under  other  officers 
than  their  own.  I mention  this,  because  I hear  it 
frequently  objected  to  the  scheme  of  embodying 
Negroes,  that  they  are  too  stupid  to  make  soldiers. 
This  is  so  far  from  appearing,  to  me,  a valid  objec- 
tion, that  I think  their  want  of  cultivation  (for  their 
natural  faculties  are  probably  as  good  as  ours), 
joined  to  that  habit  of  subordination  from  a life  of 
servitude,  will  make  them  sooner  become  soldiers 
than  our  white  inhabitants.  Let  officers  be  men 
of  sense  and  sentiment,  and  the  Bearer  the  soldiers 
approach  to  machines  perhaps  the  better. 


60 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


“I  foresee  that  this  project  will  have  to  combat 
much  opposition  from  prejudice  and  self-interest. 
The  contempt  we  have  been  taught  to  entertain  for 
the  blacks  makes  us  fancy  many  things  that  are 
founded  neither  in  reason  nor  experience,  and  an 
unwillingness  to  part  with  property  of  so  valuable  a 
kind  will  furnish  a thousand  arguments  to  show  the 
impracticability  or  pernicious  tendency  of  a scheme 
which  requires  such  a sacrifice.  But  it  should  be 
considered  that  if  we  do  not  make  use  of  them  in 
this  way  the  enemy  probably  will,  and  that  the  best 
way  to  counteract  the  temptations  they  hold  out  will 
be  to  offer  them  ourselves.  A-n  essential  part  of 
the  plan  is  to  give  them  their  freedom  with  their 
muskets.  This  will  secure  their  fidelity,  animate 
their  courage,  and,  I believe,  will  have  a good  influ- 
ence upon  those  who  remain  by  opening  a door  to 
their  emancipation.  This  circumstance,  I confess, 
has  no  small  weight  in  inducing  me  to  wish  the  suc- 
cess of  the  project,  for  the  dictates  of  humanity  and 
true  policy  equally  interest  me  in  favor  of  this  un- 
fortunate class  of  men.  With  the  truest  respect 
and  esteem,  I am,  sir, 

“ Your  most  obedient  servant, 

“Alex.  Hamilton.” 

George  Washington,  James  Madison,  and  the 
ontinental  Congress  gave  their  consent  to  the  plan 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


61 


of  Col.  Laurens,  and  recommended  it  to  the  South- 
ern Colonies.  It  was  resolved  by  Congress  to  com- 
pensate the  master  for  the  slaves  used  by  Col.  Lau- 
rens at  the  rate  of  $1000  apiece  for  each  “able- 
bodied  Negro  man  of  standard  size,  not  exceeding 
thirty-five  years  of  age,  who  shall  be  so  enlisted 
and  pass  muster.  That  no  pay  be  allowed  to  the 
said  Negroes,  but  that  they  be  clothed  and  sub- 
sisted at  the  expense  of  the  United  States;  that 
every  Negro  who  shall  well  and  faithfully  serve 
as  a soldier  to  the  end  of  the  present  war,  and  shall 
then  return  his  arms,  shall  be  emancipated  and 
receive  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars.” 

Congress  commissioned  Col.  Laurens  to  carry 
out  this  plan.  “ He  repaired  to  South  Carolina 
and  threw  all  his  energies  into  his  noble  mis- 
sion.”  The  people  of  the  States  of  Georgia  and 
South  Carolina  refused  to  co-operate  with  him.  It 
was  difficult  to  get  white  troops  to  enlist.  The 
Tories,  who  opposed  the  war  against  England, 
were  very  strong  in  several  of  the  Southern  colo- 
nies. 

A Letter  from  General  Washington  will  help 
us  to  understand  the  condition  of  affairs  in  South 
Carolina  and  Georgia.  He  wrote  to  Col.  Laurens 
as  follows:  “I  must  confess  that  I am  not  at  all 
astonished  at  the  failure  of  your  plan.  That  spirit 
of  freedom  which,  at  the  commencement  of  this 


62 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


contest,  would  have  gladly  sacrificed  everything  to 
the  attainment  of  its  object,  has  long  since  subsided, 
and  every  selfish  passion  has  taken  its  place.  It  is 
not  the  public  but  private  interest  which  influences 
the  generality  of  mankind,  nor  can  the  Americans 
any  longer  boast  an  exception.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances it  would  rather  have  been  surprising 
if  you  had  succeeded,  nor  will  you,  I fear,  have 
better  success  in  Georgia.” 

Col.  Laurens  was  killed  in  battle,  but  he  had  not 
entirely  abandoned  his  plan  of  enlisting  the  slaves. 
But  in  spite  of  the  recommendations  of  Congress, 
he  could  not  succeed,  for  the  States  of  South  Caro- 
lina and  Georgia  coveted  their  slaves  too  much  to 
allow  this  entering  wedge  to  their  ultimate  freedom, 
Had  his  plan  been  carried  out,  slavery  would  prob- 
ably have  been  abolished  as  soon  at  the  South  as  at 
the  North.  The  Negroes  who  would  have  come 
out  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution  would  have  set 
themselves  to  work  to  relieve  the  condition  of  their 
brethren  in  shackles. 

Connecticut  Failed  to  endorse  the  enlistment  of 
Negroes  by  its  Legislature,  but  Mr.  Williams  in  his 
history  gives  the  roster  of  a company  of  Negroes  in 
that  State,  numbering  fifty-seven,  with  David  Hum- 
phreys, Captain.  White  officers  refused  to  serve  in 
the  company.  David  Humphreys  continued  at  the 
head  of  this  force  until  the  war  closed. 


NEQRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


63 


CHAPTER  XII. 

NEGRO  HEROES  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 

Among  Those  whose  blood  was  first  shed  for 
the  cause  of  American  liberty  was  the  runaway  slave, 
Crispus  Attucks,  Having  escaped  from  his  master, 
William  Brown,  of  Framingham,  Massachusetts,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-seven,  being  then  six  feet  two 
inches  high,  with  “short,  curled  hair,”  he  made  his 
way  to  Boston.  His  master  in  1750  offered  a 
reward  of  ten  pounds  for  him,  but  CrispuS  was  not 
found.  When  next  heard  from  he  turns  up  in  the 
streets  of  Boston. 

THE  LEADER  WHO  FELL  IN  THE  FAMOUS  BOSTON 
MASSACRE. 

Attucks  had  no  doubt  been  listening  to  the  fiery 
eloquence  of  the  patriots  of  those  burning  times. 
The  Words  of  the  eloquent  Otis  had  kindled  his  soul, 
and  though  a runaway  slave,  his  patriotism  was  so 
deep  that  he  it  was  who  sacrificed  his  life  first  on  the 
altar  of  American  Liberty. 

General  Gage,  the  English  commander,  had 
taken  possession  of  Boston.  Under  the  British  flag 


64 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Crispus  Attucks  at  the  Boston  Massacre. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


65 


gaily  dressed  soldiers  marched  the  streets  of  Boston 
as  through  a conquered  city ; their  every  act  was  an 
insult  to  the  inhabitants.  Finally,  on  March  5,  1 770, 
Crispus  Attucks,  at  the  head  of  a crowd  of  citizens, 
resolved  no  longer  to  be  insulted,  and  determining 
to  resist  any  invasion  of  their  rights  as  citizens,  a 
fight  soon  ensued  on  the  street.  The  troops  were 
ordered  to  fire  on  the  “ mob,”  and  Attucks  fell,  the 
first  one,  with  three  others,  Caldwell,  Gray,  and 
Maverick.  The  town  bell  was  rung,  the  alarm 
given  and  citizens  from  the  country  ran  into  Boston, 
where  the  greatest  excitement  prevailed. 

The  Burial  of  Attucks,  the  only  unkftown  dead, 
was  from  Faneuil  Hall.  The  funeral  procession 
was  enormous,  and  many  of  the  best/fitizens  of  Bos- 
ton readily  followed  this  former  slave  and  unknown 
hero  to  an  honored  grave.  Many  orators  spoke  in 
the  highest  terms  of  Crispus  Attucks.  A verse 
mentioning  him  reads  thus  : 


“ Long  as  in  freedom’s  cause  the  wise  contend, 

Dear  to  your  country  shall  your  fame  extend ; 
While  to  the  world  the  lettered  stone  shall  tell 
Where  Caldwell,  Attucks,  Gray  and  Maverick  fell.” 


66 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


—•I 


Peter  Salem  shoots  Major  Pitcairn  at  Bunker  Hill. 


Bunker  Hill  was  the  scene  of  a brave  deed  by 
a Negro  soldier.  Major  Pitcairn  was  commander 
of  the  British  forces  there.  The  battle  was  fierce ; 
victory  seemed  sure  to  the  English,  when  Pitcairn 
mounted  an  eminence,  shouting  triumphantly,  “The 
day  is  ours.”  At  this  moment  the  Americans  stood 
as  if  dumfounded,  when  suddenly,  with  the  leap  of 
a tiger,  there  rushed  forth  Peter  Salem , who  fired 
directly  at  the  officer’s  breast  and  killed  him.  Salem 
was  said  to  have  been  a slave,  of  Framingham,  Mas- 
sachusetts. General  Warren,  who  was  killed  in  this 
battle,  greatly  eulogized  Crispus  Attucks  for  his 
bravery  in  Boston,  and  had  he  not  been  stricken 
down  so  soon,  Peter  Salem  would  doubtless  also 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


6f 


have  received  high  encomiums  from  his  eloquent 
lips. 

Five  Thousand  Negroes  are  said  to  have 
fought  on  the  side  of  the  colonies  during  the  Revo- 
lution. Most  of  them  were  from  the  northern 
colonies.  There  were,  possibly,  50,000  Negroes  en- 
listed on  the  side  of  Great  Britain,  and  30,000  of 
these  were  from  Virginia. 

SOME  INDIVIDUALS  OF  REVOLUTIONARY  TIMES. 

Primus  Hall,  was  body-servant  of  Colonel  Pick- 
ering in  Massachusetts.  General  Washington  was 
quite  intimate  with  the  Colonel  and  paid  him  many 
visits.  On  one  occasion,  Washington  continued  his 
visit  till  a late  hour,  and  being  assured  by  Primus 
that  there  were  blankets  enough  to  accommodate 
him,  he  resolved  to  spend  the  night  in  the  Colonel’s 
quarters.  Accordingly  two  beds  of  straw  were  made 
down,  and  Washington  and  Colonel  Pickering  re- 
tired, leaving  Primus  engaged  about  the  tent  Late 
in  the  night  General  Washington  awoke,  and  seeing 
Primus  sitting  on  a box  nodding,  rose  up  in  his  bed 
and  said : “ Primus,  what  did  you  mean  by  saying  that 
you  had  blankets  enough  ? Have  you  given  up  your 
blanket  and  straw  to  me,  that  I may  sleep  comfort- 
ably while  you  are  obliged  to  sit  through  the  night?” 
“It’s  nothing,”  said  Primus;  “don’t  tTouble yourself . 


68 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


about  me,  General,  but  go  to  sleep  again.  No  mat- 
ter about  me  ; I sleep  very  good.”  “ But  it  is  mat- 
ter ; it  is  matter,”  replied  Washington,  earnestly. 
“ I cannot  do  it,  Primus.  If  either  is  to  sit  up,  I will. 
But  I think  there  is  no  need  of  either  sitting  up. 
The  blanket  is  wide  enough  for  two ; come  and  lie 
down  here  with  me.”  “ O,  no,  General,”  said  Pri- 
mus ; “ let  me  sit  here  ; I’ll  do  very  well  on  the  box.” 
Washington  said,  “ I say,  come  and  lie  down  here  1 
There  is  room  for  both,  and  I insist  upon  it.”  And, 
as  he  spoke,  he  threw  up  the  blanket  and  moved 
to  one  side  of  the  straw.  Primus  hesitated,  but 
Washington  continuing  to  insist.  Primus  finally  pre- 
pared himself  and  laid  down  by  Washington,  and 
on  the  same  straw,  and  under  the  same  blanket, 
where  the  General  and  the  Negro  servant  slept  till 
morning. 

Washington  is  said  to  have  been  out  walking 
one  day  in  company  with  some  distinguished  gentle- 
men, and  during  the  walk  he  met  an  old  colored 
man,  who  very  politely  tipped  his  hat  and  spoke  to 
the  General.  Washington,  in  turn,  took  off  his  hat 
to  the  colored  man,  on  seeing  which  one  of  the  com- 
pany, in  a jesting  manner,  inquired  of  the  General 
if  he  usually  took  off  his  hat  to  Negroes.  Where- 
upon Washington  replied : “ Politeness  is  cheap,  and 
I never  allow  any  one  to  be  more  polite  to  me  than 
I to  him.” 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


69 


Brave  Colored  Ariilleryrnan. 


Judge  Story  gives  an  account  of  a colored  ar- 
tilleryman who  was  in  charge  of  a cannon  with  a 
white  soldier  at  Bunker  Hill.  He  had  one  arm  so 
badly  wounded  he  could  not  use  it.  He  suggested 
to  the  white  soldier  that  he  change  sides  so  as  to 
use  the  other  arm.  He  did  this ; and  while  thus 
laboring  under  pain  and  loss  of  blood,  a shot  came 
which  killed  him.- 

Prince appears  in  the  attempt  to  capture 

General  Prescott,  of  the  Royal  army,  stationed  at 
Newport,  R.  I.  General  Lee,  of  the  American  forces, 
was  held  as  a prisoner  by  the  British,  and  it  was 
designed  to  capture  Prescott  so  as  to  be  able  to 
give  him  in  exchange  for  Lee.  Colonel  Barton 
planned  the  scheme,  and  set  out  to  Prescott’s  sleep- 


70 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


ing  apartments  in  the  night.  Prince  followed  the 
lead  of  Colonel  Barton  to  the  door.  There  the  sen- 
tinel was  seized  with  his  bayonet  at  the  Colonel’s 
breast,  and  ordered  to  be  silent  on  pain  of  death, 
when  Prince  came  forward  and  with  two  strokes  at 
the  door  with  his  head  it  came  open.  Prescott  was 
seized  by  Prince  while  in  bed  and  made  a prisoner. 
Colonel  Barton  was  presented  an  elegant  sword  for 
this  brave  exploit  which  Prince  achieved. 

Prince  Whipple  appears,  as  a body-guard,  on 
the  picture  entitled  “ Washington  Crossing  th?  Del- 
aware.” 


L.  LATHAM. 

New  London,  Connecticut,  was  taken  by  the 
British  under  command  of  Arnold,  the  traitor,  in 
1781.  The  American  troops  retreated  to  Fort  Gro 
ton,  where  the  American  commander  Ledyard  was 
in  command.  The  British  came  up  and  overcame 
the  Americans  after  a bold  resistance.  The  British 
officer  vainly  strode  into  the  ramparts  and  said, 
“Who  commands  this  fort?”  Ledyard  replied,  “I 
once  did;  you  do  now,”  handing  the  Briton  his 
sword  at  the  same  time,  which  he  took  and  ran 
through  Ledyard  up  to  the  hilt.  L.  Latham,  a Ne- 
gro slave,  stood  near  the  American.  Scarcely  had 
ike  British  officer  s hand  left  the  murderous  hilt  when 
Latham  run  him  through  with  his  bayonet.  The 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


71 


enemy  rushed  on  him,  and  after  a most  daring  fight 
he  fell,  not  till  pierced  by  thirty-three  bayonets.  L. 
Latham  had  been  left  at  home  by  his  master  to  care 
for  the  stock  when  the  latter  left  to  help  defend  the 
fort ; but  as  soon  as  he  could  unhitch  his  team  he 
too  made  haste  to  the  scene  of  the  fray,  and  the 
above  bold  deed  shows  how  deeply  he  felt  moved  to 
give  his  life  in  defence  of  his  country. 

John  Freeman  pinned  Major  Montgomery  to 
the  ground  while  he  was  being  lifted  upon  the  walls 
of  Fort  Griswold. 

Samuel  Charlton  was  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth 
and  several  others.  Washington  complimented  him 
for  his  bravery.  He  returned  to  his  master  in  New 
Jersey  after  the  war,  and  at  his  master’s  death  Charl- 
ton, with  the  other  slaves,  was  set  free  and  given  a 
pension  during  his  life. 

James  Armistead  acted  as  scout  for  LaFayette 
in  the  Virginia  campaign.  He  returned  to  his  mas- 
ter after  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  and  was  set  free 
by  a special  act  of  the  Virginia  Legislature. 

Negro  Soldiers  in  the  North  enlisted  with  the 
colonies  so  that  they  might  thus  get  their  freedom 
from  their  Northern  masters,  while  Negro  soldiers 
in  the  South  enlisted  with  the  British,  who  promised 
freedom,  to  all  who  would  join  their  ranks. 

Did  the  Negro  Soldiers  get  their  freedom. after 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  was  over?  We  may  say 


72 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


yes,  so  far  as  the  Northern  colonies  are  concerned, 
but  not  without  much  opposition  in  the  courts  and 
legislatures.  Virginia  also  passed  an  act  in  1 783 
emancipating  the  slaves  who  had  fought  in  the 
Revolution.  Many  individual  slaves  were  emanci- 
pated by  special  acts  of  the  legislatures  for  their 
courage  and  bravery. 

George  Washington  set  his  slaves  free  by  his 
will,  and  many  slave-owners  did  the  same. 

The  slaves  who  joined  the  British  army  were  sub- 
jected to  all  sorts  of  horrors.  Thousands  died  with 
small-pox  and  other  contagious  diseases.  A great 
number  were  sent  to  the  West  Indies  in  exchange 
“for  rum,  sugar,  coffee  and  fruit.” 

LAFAYETTE  AND  KOSCIUSKO. 

LaFayette,  the  brilliant  young  Frenchman,  and, 
Kosciusko,  the  generous  Pole,  volunteered  their  ser- 
vices in  behalf  of  freedom  for  the  Americans  during 
the  Revolution.  They  fought,  though,  for  the  free- 
dom of  all  Americans.  LaFayette  said  in  a letter 
to  a Mr.  Clarkson  : “ I would  never  have  drawn 
my  sword  in  the  cause  of  America,  if  I could  have 
conceived  that  thereby  I was  founding  a land  of 
slavery.” 

While  Visiting  America  in  1825,  he  expressed 
a warm  desire  to  see  some  of  the  many  colored  sol 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


73 


diers  whom  he  “ remembered  as  participating  with 
him  in  various  skirmishes.”  He  believed  in  free- 
dom to  all  men,  and  to  put  in  practice  his  anti- 
slavery  ideas  he  bought  a plantation  in  French 
Guiana.  There  he  collected  all  the  “ whips  and 
other  instruments  of  torture  and  punishment,  and 
made  a bonfire  of  them  in  the  presence  of  the  as- 
sembled slaves.” 

He  Gave  One  Day  in  each  week  to  the  slaves, 
and  as  soon  as  one  could  earn  enough  he  might  pur- 
chase another  day,  and  so  on  until  he  gained  his 
freedom. 

Kosciusko  Expressed  great  sorrow  to  learn 
that  the  colored  men  who  served  in  the  Revolution 
were  not  thereby  to  gain  their  freedom.  He  left 
$2Q,ooo  in  the  hands  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  to  be 
used  in  educating  colored  children. 


74 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  WAR  OF  1812. 

The  War  of  the  Revolution  ended  in  1781  at 
Yorktown.  Many  of  the  brave  Negroes  who  shed 
their  blood  and  helped  to  win  America’s  liberty' 
from  England  were,  as  soon  as  the  war  closed, 
put  back  into  bondage.  They  were  in  the  “ Land 
of  the  Free,”  but  themselves  slaves.  Other  trou- 
bles arose  very  soon  between  England  and  Amer- 
ica. England  still  kept  standing  armies  in  America, 
and  claimed  the  right  to  search  American  vessels 
for  British  sailors  who  had  deserted.  They  often 
took  off  American  seamen. 

One  Negro  and  Two  White  sailors  were  taken 
from  the  American  man-of-war  “ Chesapeake  ” after 
she  had  been  fired  upon.  Canada  gave  arms  to  and 
incited  the  Indians  in  the  Northwest  against  the 
Americans.  Finally,  in  1812,  war  was  declared, 
during  Madison’s  administration. 

Negro  Troops  were  very  much  needed,  as  the 
Americans  had  a very  poor  navy,  and  England, 
having  whipped  the  French,  was  now  ready  to  turn 
all  her  forces  against  America. 

A Call  for  Volunteers  from  the  Union  was 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


75 


issued,  and  many  thousands  of  free  Negroes  an- 
swered the  call.  The  slaves  were  not  allowed  to 
enlist  in  the  militia.  Gen.  Jackson  thus  spoke  to  his 
colored  troops : 

“ To  the  Men  of  Color — Soldiers  : From  the  shores 
of  Mobile  I collected  you  to  arms.  I invited  you  to 
share  in  the  perils  and  to  divide  the  glory  with  your 
white  countrymen.  I expected  much  from  you,  for 
I was  not  uninformed  of  those  qualities  which  must 
render  you  so  formidable  to  an  invading  foe.  I 
knew  that  you  could  endure  hunger  and  thirst  and 
all  the  hardships  of  war.  I knew  that  you  loved  the 
land  of  your  nativity,  and  that,  like  ourselves,  you 
had  to  defend  all  that  is  most  dear  to  man.  B7it  you 
have  surpassed  all  my  hopes.  I have  found  in  you, 
united  to  these  qualities,  that  noble  enthusiasm 
which  impels  to  great  deeds. 

“Soldiers,  the  President  of  the  United  States 
shall  be  informed  of  your  conduct  on  the  present 
occasion,  and  the  voice  of  the  Representatives  of 
the  American  nation  shall  applaud  your  valor  as 
your  General  now  praises  your  ardor.  The  enemy 
is  near.  His  sails  cover  the  lakes ; but  the  brave 
are  united,  and  if  he  finds  us  contending  among 
ourselves,  it  will  be  for  the  prize  of  valor,  and  fame, 
its  noblest  reward.” 

The  Battle  of  New  Orleans,  we  will  remember, 
ended  in  defeat  for  the  British.  Over  two  thousand 


76 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


were  lost  to  the  British,  while  the  American  loss 
was  seven  killed  and  six  wounded.  There  were 
over  four  hundred  Negroes  in  this  battle,  and  they 
occupied  “ no  mean  place  and  did  no  mean  service.” 
The  British  had  a battalion  of  Negroes  from  the 
Island  of  San  Domingo  in  this  battle.  The  idea 
of  fortifying  the  city  with  cotton  is  said  to  have  been 
the  suggestion  of  a slave  who  was  a native  African, 
and  learned  this  mode  of  defence  from  the  Arabs. 

Mr.  D.  Lee  Child,  in  a letter  to  a friend,  states 
that  the  famous  cotton  breast-works,  recognized  the 
world  over  as  a stroke  of  genius  on  the  part  of 
Gen.  Jackson,  was  the  suggestion  of  a colored  man, 
a .native  African.  He  gives  some  data  from  a Por- 
tuguese manuscript  to  prove  that  this  mode  of  de- 
fence is  in  practice  among  the  native  Africans,  who 
thus  defend  their  wives  and  children  against  the 
Arabs. 


NEGROES  IN  THE  NAVY  OF  1 8 1 2. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  discrimination  against 
any  class  of  citizens  joining  our  navy;  nor  is  there 
now.  About  one-fifth  of  the  marines  were  Ndgroes, 
That  they  did  valuable  service  is  testified  to  by 
numerous  commanders.  Read  what  Commander 
Nathaniel  Shaler  of  the  “private  armed  ” schooner 
“ Governor  Tompkins  ” says,  in  a letter  dated — 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


77 


“At  Sea,  Jan.  1,  1813. 

“ My  officers  conducted  themselves  in  a way  that 
would  have  done  honor  to  a more  permanent  ser- 
vice  The  name  of  one  of  my  poor  fel- 

lows who  was  killed  ought  to  be  registered  in  the 
book  of  fame , and  remembered  with  reverence  as 
long  as  bravery  is  a virtue,  He  was  a black  man, 
by  the  name  of  John  Johnson.,  A twenty-four 
pound  shot  struck  him  in  the  hip  and  took  away 
all  the  lower  part  of  his  body.  In  this  state  the 
poor,  brave  fellow  lay  on  the  deck,  and  several  times 
exclaimed  to  his  shipmates,  ‘ Fire  away , my  boys ; 
no  haul  a color  down  ! ’ The  other  was  a black 
man  by  the  name  of  John  Davis,  and  was  struck  in 
much  the  same  way.  He  fell  near  me,  and  several 
times  requested  to  be  thrown  overboard,  saying  he 
was  only  in  the  way  of  others.  While  America  has 
such  tars,  she  has  little  to  fear  from  the  tyrants  of 
the  ocean.”  ' 

Captain  Perry  had  command  of  the  American 
fleet  on  Lake  Erie.  He  objected  to  recruits  sent 
him,  and  described  them  in  a letter  to  Commodore 
Chauncey  ,as  “ a motley  set — blacks,  soldiers  and 
boys.”  Commodore  Chauncey  replied:  “I  regret 
that  you  are  not  pleased  with  the  men  sent  you. 
. . . . I have  yet  to  learn  that  the  color  of  the 
skin,  or  the  cut  and  trimmings  of  the  coat,  can 
affect  a man’s  qualifications  or  usefulness.  I have 


78  A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

t-  -4.  - 

fifty  blacks  on  board  this  ship,  and  many  of  them 
are  among  my  best  men.” 

Usher  Parsons,  Surgeon  of  the  “Java,”  under 
Commodore  Perry,  wrote  that  the  whites  and  blacks 
of  his  ship  messed  together,  and  there  seemed  to  be 
no  prejudice. 

I The  End  of  the  War  of  1812  meant  victory  for 
America,  and  the  Negro  had  scored  a telling  point 
in  behalf  of  his  recognition  as  an.  American  citizen. 
But  still  many  were  in  slavery/ 

Major  Jeffreys,  a “regular,”  during  the  engage- 
ment of  Major-General  Andrew  Jackson  at  Mobile, 
mounted  a horse  and  rallied  the  retreating  troops 
to  victory  against  the  British,  when  the  white  com- 
manders were  forced  to  retire  and  defeat  seemed 
certain.  Gen.  Jackson  gave  him  the  title  of  Major, 
which  he  bore  till  his  death  in  Nashville,  Tenn,  He 
was  much  respected  by  all  classes.  On  one  occa- 
sion a white  ruffian  insulted  him.  Words  ensued, 
and  Major  Jeffreys  was  forced  to  strike  the  white 
man  in  self-defence.  For  this,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years,  this  veteran,  who  had  won  a victory  for  his 
country  on  the  battle-field,  was  ordered  to  be  given 
“nine  and  thirty  lashes  with  a raw  hide.”  *'  He  did 
not  recover  from  the  effects  of  this  treatment,  and 
soon  died  of  a broken  heart. 

Jordon  Noble  was  among  the  colored  veterans 
of  the  War  of  181 2.  For  a long  time  after  the  war 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


79 


he  lived  in  New  Orleans,  where  he  was  brought  out 
on  every  great  occasion  to  give  enthusiasm.  Jor- 
don Noble’s  name  appearing  in  connection  with  any 
great  occasion  was  sufficient  guarantee  of  a tremen- 
dous crowd.  He  was  drummer  to  the  First  Regi- 
ment Louisiana  Volunteers  in  the  Mexican  War  of 
1846,  and  led  the  attack  against  the  British  in  the 
Battle  of  New  Orleans  under  Jackson  in  1814.  He 
was  known  as  the  “ matchless  drummer.” 


80 


A SCHOOL  II [STORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

EFFORTS  FOR  FREEDOM. 

The  War  of  1812  was  now  over.  America  re- 
mained at  peace  with  other  nations  about  thirty- 
two  years,  when  the  Mexican  war  broke  out  in 
1846.  During  this  interval  a war  of  words  between 
Americans  themselves  was  waged  ; and  there  were 
heroes  in  this  contest,  many  of  them  Negroes  and 
former  slaves,  and  some  of  them  women,  who  merit 
equal  rank  with  the  brave  heroes  of  former  battles. 

The  Abolitionists  who  were  opposed  to  slavery, 
furnished  many  brave  hearts  and  strong  minds  from 
their  ranks.  Their  work  began  very  early  in  the 
history  of  the  colonies ; it  continued  with  slow 
growth  for  awhile,  but  nevertheless  certain  and 
effectual.  The  Quakers  of  Pennsylvania  were  fore- 
most in  the  work  of  abolition.  They  set  nearly  all 
their  slaves  free.  Anti-slavery  societies  were  formed 
in  nearly  all  the  Northern  States. 

Benjamin  Lundy  is  mentioned  as  the  earliest 
leader  of  the  Abolitionists.  He  published  a paper 
called  The  Genius  of  Universal  Emancipation.  He 
visited  nineteen  States  of  the  Union,  travelled  up- 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


81 


waids  of  five  thousand  miles  on  foot,  and  more  than 
twenty  thousand  in  other  ways,  and  held  more  than 
two  hundred  public  meetings.  Lundy’s  paper  was 
not  regarded  as-  very  dangerous  to  the  institution 
of  slavery;  but  the  Journal  of  the  Times , published 
first  at  Bennington,  Vermont,  in  support  of  J.  O. 
Adams  for  the  presidency,  became  the  inveterate 
foe  to  slavery  under  the  editorship  of  Williafn  Lloyd 
Garrison,  who  was  mobbed  in  the  streets  of  Boston, 
and  imprisoned  for  libel  in  the  city  of  Baltimore  for 
denouncing  the  crew  of  the  ship  “ Francis  Todd,” 
on  board  of  which  were  many  ill-treated  slaves 
bound  for  the  slave  marts  of  New  Orleans.  Garri- 
son and  Lundy  united  in  getting  out  The  Genius  of 
Universal  Emancipation  at  Baltimore. 

Arthur  Tappan,  before  this,  paid  Garrison's  fine, 
and  the  enemy  to  slavery  commenced  his  war  with 
more  vigor  and  zeal  than  before.  In  1831  The 
Liberator  was  first  published  by  Garrison,  and,  as 
was  his  desire,  it  continued  till  “ every  slave  in 
America  was  free.” 

A “Colored  Man,”  James  Forten,  sent  $50 
among  the  first  twenty-five  subscriptions  that  came 
to  The  Liberator.  Garrison  thought  it  his  duty  to 
obey  God  rather  than  man,  and  he  denounced  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  as  being  a “Cov- 
enant with  death  and  an  agreement  with  hell,”  be- 
cause he  held  that  it  supported  slavery. 

6 


82 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  TIIE 


The  National  Anti-Slavery  Convention,  white, 
was  held  in  1836;  they  had  delegates  from  ten 
States,  and  1006  anti-slavery  societies  existed  in  the 
different  States. 

The  Free  Colored  People  of  the  North  also 
held  an  anti-slavery  convention  in  1831.  Their  first 
work  was  to  get  recognition  from  the  white  organi- 
zations, who  shut  them  out.  The  “Anti-Slavery 
Free  Women  of  America”  organized  in  1837,  in 
New  York.  Mary  S.  Parker  was  President,  Ange- 
lina E.  Grimkie;  Secretary. 

Miss  Sarah  Forten  addressed  the  following 
verses  to  her  white  sisters  in  behalf  of  co-operation  : 


“ We  are  thy  sisters.  God  has  truly  said 
That  of  one  blood  all  nations  He  has  made. 

O Christian  woman  ! in  a Christian  land, 

Canst  thou  unblushing  read  this  great  command  ? 

Suifer  the  wrongs  which  wring  our  inmost  heart, 

To  draw  one  throb  of  pity  on  thy  part? 

Our  skins  may  differ,  but  from  thee  we  claim 
A sister’s  privilege  and  a sister’s  name.” 

t 

Soon  after  this,  the  free  Negroes  of  the  North 
acted  together  with  the  whites  in  the  great  fight 
against  slavery.  Negro  orators  told  in  eloquent 
style  the  sad' story  of  the  bondage  of  their  race. 

Frederick  Douglass,  once  a slave  in  Maryland, 
electrified  the  whole  country  with  his  eloquence.  He 
stood  then,  and  now,  as  a living,  breathing,  convinc- 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


83 


ing  argument  against  the  claim  that  the  Negro’s 
intellectual  capacities  fit  him  only  for  slavery.  Mr. 
Douglass  visited  Europe  and  was  received  there 
with  an  ovation,  for  the  cause  of  the  slave  had  leaped 
across  the  Atlantic  and  touched  a sympathetic  chord 
in  many  a British  heart. 

Many  Books  were  written  by  Negroes,  as  well 
as  whites.  Frederick  Douglass  wrote  “ My  Bondage 
and  My  Freedom;”  Bishop  Loguen,  “As  a Slave 
and  as  a Freeman;”  other  works  by  Rev.  Samuel 
R.  Ward,  Rev.  Austin  Stewart,  Solomon  Northorp, 
Dr.  Wm.  Wells  Brown,  and  others.  William  Whip- 
per  edited  an  abolition  paper,  known  as  the  National 
Reformer. 

Uncle  Tom’s  Cabin,  by  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe,  was  the  most  read,  and  the  most  effectual ; 
work  against  slavery. 


84 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XV. 

FREDERICK  DOUGLASS. 

This  great  man  is  well  known  to  the  world.  He 
is  a conspicuous  representative  of  the  talents  and 
capabilities  possessed  by  the  colored  race.  Born  a 
slave  on  a plantation  in  Maryland,  he  has  gradually, 
by  industry  and  patient  labor,  worked  himself  to  the 
highest  rank  of  honor,  both  in  America  and  Europe. 
When  Frederick  Douglass  speaks  the  world  listens. 
He  is  as  much  quoted  as  any  living  American 
statesman. 

The  first  ten  years  of  Mr.  Douglass’  youth  were 
spent  on  one  of  the  many  plantations  of  a rich 
planter  named  Lloyd,  in  the  State  of  Maryland.  He 
was  separated  from  his  mother,  who  only  saw  him 
at  long  intervals.  He,  with  the  other  little  slave 
boys,  grew  up  from  almost  infancy  in  their  tow 
shirts,  with  their  ash-cake  rations  and  frequent  beat- 
ings, given  them  by  a certain  “ old  Aunt  Kate,”  who 
had  charge  of  the  children  on  the  plantation.  In 
this  wil’d  way,  young  Fred  was  left  to  grow  up  as 
best  he  could  among  the  rough  farm  hands  and 
without  a mother’s  care.  He  describes  his  mother 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


85 


Frederick  Douglass. 


86 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


to  have  been  a noble-looking  woman,  with  the 
deepest  of  motherly  affection  and  very  fond  of  him, 
as  shown  by  her  running  dangerous  risks  and  often 
walking  many  long  miles  to  see  him. 

At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  was  sent  by  his  “ Old 
Master”  to  live  with  his  young  mistress,  in  Balti- 
more, who  was  connected  with  the  Lloyd  family. 
This  young  lady  became  attached  to  him,  and 
taught  him  to  read.  He  learned  to  read  the  Bible 
and  made  such  rapid  progress  that  the  young  lady, 
feeling  very  proud  of  her  work,  told  her  husband. 
When  he  found  it  out  he  forbade  her  teaching  him 
any  further,  saying  it  was  unlawful,  “ could  only 
lead  to  mischief,”  and,  “ if  you  give  a nigger  an 
inch  he  will  take  an  ell.”  Nevertheless,  Fred  soon 
became  proficient  in  reading,  and  he  learned  to 
write  by  the  models  in  his  young  master’s  copy- 
book. He  bought  a book  called  the  Columbian 
Orator,  in  which  he  found  speeches  from  Sheridan, 
Lord  Chatham,  William  Pitt  and  Fox.  These  he 
read  many  times  and  gained  much  mental  help  from 
them. 

Finally,  young  Fred,  whose  mind  now  was  en- 
lightened, became  so  dissatisfied  with  his  position 
as  a slave  that  he  grew  morose  and  gloomy.  His 
young  mistress  chided  him  for  this  conduct,  and  it 
finally  became  necessary  to  hire  him  out.  He  soon 
found  a good  opportunity  and  ran  away  to  New 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA 


87 


Bedford,  Mass.  Here  he  found  employment  and 
spent  his  leisure  time  in  study.  He  read  Scott's 
“ Lady  of  the  Lake,”  and  there  came  across  the  name 
of  Douglass,  which  he  for  the  first  time  assumed. 
He  attended  church  ; was  surprised  to  see  the  col- 
ored people  transacting  their  own  business.  Some 
of  the  first  money  he  earned  in  New  Bedford  was 
invested  in  a subscription  to  The  Liberator.  He 
was  not  long  in  coming  to  the  front.  His  story  of 
escape  from  slavery  was  told  in  the  various 
churches,  and  the  year  1841  found  him  on  the  stage 
before  an  anti-slavery  convention  at  Nantucket.  A 
tremendous  crowd  was  present,  and  the  wildest 
enthusiasm  prevailed  Mr.  William  Lloyd  Garri- 
son followed  Mr.  Douglass  with  a strong  speech 
for  the  abolition  of  slavery.  Mr.  Douglass’  career 
thus  begun,  continued  ; he  spoke  often  and  mightily 
for  the  cause  of  freedom.  He  became  the  leading- 
orator  of  the  time,  and  his  presence  was  sufficient 
to  draw  a crowd  in  the  bitterest  pro  slavery  com- 
munity. 

Since  freedom,  Mr.  Douglass  has  held  several 
important  positions  under  the  National  Govern- 
ment. He  was  once  Recorder  of  Deeds  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  is  now  Minister  to  the 
Haytian  Republic 


88 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Chapter  xvi. 

LIBERIA. 

The  Republic  of  Liberia  was  founded  in  1 8 1 6, 
by  the  American  Colonization  Society  as  a place  of 
refuge  and  safety  to  the  colored  people  of  America 
who,  before  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the  various 
States,  had  been  set  free  by  their  masters,  or,  through 
industry,  had  purchased  their  liberty  themselves. 
It  is  located  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  south  of 
Sierra  Leone,. and  is  very  productive  of  rice,  coffee, 
indigo,  peanuts,  arrowroot,  sugar,  pepper,  logwood, 
palm-oil,  and  cotton.  Gold  and  other  minerals  are 
found  in  considerable  quantities.  The  climate  seems 
ill  adapted  to  the  American  Negro. 

Mr.  Jehudi  Ashmun  was  the  pioneer  in  plant- 
ing the  colony,  assisted  by  Lott  Carey,.  The  natives 
resisted  the  settlers,  and  for  the  first  six  years  there 
were  continual  attempts  to  drive  them  out.  Mr. 
Ashmun’s  health  finally  failed,  and  he  was  compelled 
to  leave  the  colony,  now  numbering  1200  free 
Americans,  to  themselves  in  this  new  and  wild  land. 
They  shed  bitter  tears  on  his  departure,  some  cling- 
ing even  to  his  garments.  But,  left  to  themselves, 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


89 


the  Negroes  did  not  lose  all  hope.  They  set  about 
to  found  a goverment  similar  to  that  of  the  United 
States.  They  elected  their  first  president,  Joseph 
J.  Roberts,  organized  a cabinet,  established  schools, 
made  labor  obligatory,  and  their  flag  is  now  recog- 
nized by  the  nations  of  Europe  and  the  United 
States. 

Its  population  is  now  over  20,000  Negroes  who 
went  from  America,  or  their  descendants.  The  in- 
fluence  of  Liberia  is  exercised  over  a million  of 
people  along  the  West  Coast  of  Africa.  They  speak 
English,  and  from  them  many  tribes  have. learned 
our  language  and  the  arts  of  civilization.  The  United 
States  has  sent  six  Ministers  to  represent  her  at 
Monrovia,  the  Liberian  capital,  viz. : from  North 
Carolina,  Messrs.  J.  H.  Smythe,  Moses  A.  Hopkins, 
and  E.  E.  Smith;  from  New  York,  Henry  H.  Gar- 
net; Alexander  Clark,  of  Iowa,  and  C.  H.  J.  Taylor, 
of  Kansas;  Ernest  Lyon,  of  Maryland,  and  Dr. 
W.  D.  Crum,  of  South  Carolina.  The  exports  of 
Liberia  aggregate  about  three-quarters  of  a mil- 
lion dollars  annually. 

Success  has  thus  far  attended  the  country, 
though  the  climate,  atmosphere,  and  the  sur- 
roundings are  most  unfavorable  and  unstimu- 
lating. The  fact  that  these  colored  people  have 
succeeded  shows  what  the  race  can  do  under 
favorable  circumstances. 


90 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  TIIE 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

NAT.  TURNER  AND  OTHERS  WHO  “ STRUCK  ’ 
FOR  FREEDOM. 

Nathaniel  Turner  is  well  remembered  by  many 
of  the  older  people  of  Southampton,  Virginia,  as 
being  the  leader  of  the  famous  “Nat  Turner  Insur- 
rection ” of  that  county.  He  was  an  unusually  bright 
child,  having  learned  to  read  and  write  with  such 
skill  and  rapidity  that  his  own  people  and  the  neigh- 
bors- regarded  him  as  a prodigy.  It  is  said  that  his 
mother  predicted  that  he  would  be  a prophet  in  his 
presence  one  day,  and  he  remembered  her  predic- 
tion till  he  grew  older.  Turner  devoted  himself  to 
the  study  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  condition  of 
his  people.  He  believed  his  lot  was  to  set  them 
free.  He  had  visions  of  white  and  black  spirits  fighH 
ing  in  battle.  He  imagined  a voice  spoke  thus  to 
him  in  the  vision  : “Such  is  your  luck  ; such  you  are 
called  to  see ; and  let  it  come  rough  or  smooth  you 
must  bear  it.”  He  thought,  while  laboring  in  the 
fields,  “ he  discovered  drops  of  blood  on  the  corn,  as 
though  it  were  dew  from  heaven,”  and  saw  on  the 
leaves  of  the  trees  pictures  of  men  written  in  blood. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


91 


A Plan  of  Insurrection  was  devised  in  the 
month  of  February,  1831.  Nat,  together  with  four 
of  his  friends,  Sam  Edwards,  Henry  Porter,  Nelson 
Williams,  and  Hark  Travis,  held  a council  of  war,  as 
it  were,  in  some  lonely,  desolate  spot  in  the  woods, 
where  they  discussed  the  project  of  freeing  the 
slaves.  Nat  said,  in  his  speech,  that  his  purpose 
was  not  to  shed  blood  wantonly;  but  in  order  to 
arouse  his  brethren  he  believed  it  necessary  to  kill 
such  of  the  whites  as  would  be  most  likely  to  give 
them  trouble.  He,  like  John  Brown,  expected  his 
slave  brethren  to  join  him. 

The  Fatal  Stroke  was  given  in  the  month  of 
August,  1831.  The  first  house  visited  was  that  of 
a Mr.  Joseph  Travis.  While  on  the  way,  a slave 
from  this  plantation  joined  Nat’s  party.  He  was  a 
giant  of  a man,  athletic,  quick,  and  “best  man  on  the 
muscle  in  the  county,”  and  was  known  as  “ Will.” 
The  slaves  were  armed  with  axes  and  knives,  and 
killed,  indiscriminately,  young  and  old,  fifty-seven 
white  persons,  before  they  were  killed  or  cap- 
tured. 

Several  Artillery  Companies  from  Richmond, 
seventy  miles  off,  Petersburg,  Norfolk,  and  Ports- 
mouth, with  one  cavalry  company,  were  ordered  out 
to  take  Nat  and  his  followers.  In  a hand-to-hand 
struggle  Will  fell.  His  last  words  were:  “Bury 
my  axe  with  me.”  Nat  escaped  with  some  others 


92  A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

to  the  swamps  where  he  eluded  the  whites  for  nearly 
three  months.  After  surrendering,  he  was  brought 
into  court,  and  answered  Not  Guilty  to  the  inquiry 
of  the  judge.  The  trial  was  gone  through  with. 
Nat  was  convicted  and  condemned  to  die  on  the 
gallows.  He  received  the  sentence  with  total  in- 
difference, but  made  a prophecy  that  on  the  day 
of  his  execution  unusual  occurrences  would  appear 
in  the  heavens  ; the  sun  would  be  darkened  and  im- 
mense clouds  would  appear,  and  threatening  light- 
ning. Many  of  the  people  believed  it.  The  sheriff 
could  find  no  one  willing  to  cut  the  rope,  but  a 
drunken  sot,  crazed  by  liquor,  did  the  act  for  pay. 
The  day  of  execution,  strange  to  say,  as  Nat  had 
prophesied,  was  one  of  stormy  and  gloomy  aspect, 
with  terrible  thunder,  rain  and  lightning.  Nat  kept 
up  his  courage  to  the  last,  and  his  neck  in  the 
noose,  not  a muscle  quivered  or  a groan  was  uttered. 
He  was,  undoubtedly,  a wonderful  character.  Know 
ing  as  he  did,  the  risk  he  ran,  what  an  immense 
courage  he  must  have  had  to  undertake  this  bold 
adventure.  He  was  thus  spoken  of  by  a Mr. 
Gray,  who  interviewed  him  : “ It  has  been  said  that 
he  was  ignorant  and  cowardly,  and  his  purpose  was 
to  murder  and  rob.  It  is  notorious  that  he  was 
never  known  to  have  a dollar  in  his  life,  to  swear 
an  oath,  or  drink  a drop  of  spirits.  He  can  read 
and  write,  and  for  natural  intelligence  and  quick- 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


93 


ness  of  apprehension  is  surpassed  by  few  men  I 
have  ever  seen.”  * 

Avery  Watkins,  a colored  preacher  of  Rock- 
ingham, North  Carolina,  and  grandfather  of  Rev. 
R.  H.  W.  Leak,  a prominent  minister  in  the  A.  M. 
E.  Conference  of  North  Carolina,  is  said  to  have 
been  hanged  in  Rockingham,  North  Carolina, 
charged  with  indorsing  the  Nat  Turner  Insurrec- 
tion, because  in  a private  conversation  with  his 
family  he  related  to  them  something  of  what  Nat 
Turner  was  doing  in  Southampton,  where  he  had 
lately  been  on  a visit  to  his  grandmother*  Accord- 
ing to  the  account  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Quick,  he  was 
taken  by  a mob  at  a camp-meeting,  and  tried  and 
hung  in  the  same  month,  in  the  year  1831. 

Madison  Washington  was  the  name  of  a brave 
slave  who,  being  a part  of  a cargo  of  135  slaves  en 
route  to  New  Orleans  from  Virginia,  when  the  boat 
was  eight  days  out  organized  the  slaves,  made  an 
onslaught  on  the  officers,  took  possession  of  the  boat 
and  carried  it  to  Nassau,  an  English  possession, 
where  England  gave  them  protection,  refusing  to 
surrender  them  as  "murderers  and  mutineers  to 
perish  on  Southern  gibbets.” 

* One  author  says.:  Upwards  of  one  hundred  slaves  were  slaughtered  in 
the  Southampton  Tragedy,  many  of  them  in  cold  blood  while  walking,  in  the 
streets— and  about  sixty  white  persons.  Some  of  the  alleged  conspirators 
had  their  noses  and  ears  cut  off,  the  flesh  of  their  cheeks  cut  out,  their- jaws 
broken  asunder,  and  in  that  condition  they,  were  set  up  as  marks  to  be  shot  at. 


94 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  TI1JET 


The  Kindness  of  Washington  in  dressing  the 
Captain’s  wounds  and  protecting  and  caring  for  his 
wife  and  children,  marked  him  as  a most  magnani- 
mous foe.  Only  one  white  man  of  the  twelve  com- 
manding the  ship  was  killed.  He  having  fired  into 
the  slaves  came  at  them  with  a spike ; thereupon  he 
was  stabbed  by  one  of  Washington’s  men,  who 
wrenched  a bowie-knife  from  the  hands  of  the  Cap- 
tain. Washington’s  only  wish  was,  not  blood,  but 
freedom,  which  he  gained., 


“ THE  VIRGINIA  MAROONS. 

The  Famous  Dismal  Swamp,  some  fifty  miles 
long,  extending  from  Norfolk,  Virginia,  into  North 
Carolina,  was  a noted  rendezvous  for  runaway  slaves 
before  the  civil  war.  It  is  estimated  that  the  slave 
property  in  this  swamp  was  worth  a million  and  a 
half  dollars.  They  carried  on  a secret  trade  with 
the  Virginia  merchants,  but  any  merchant  caught 
fostering  these  people  by  trading  with  them  was 
punished  severely  by  law.  The  traders  who  were 
pursued  found  shelter  among  the  maroons  of  the 
swamp.  The  chivalry  of  the  Old  Dominion  never 
dared  venture  into  this  colony,  and  blood-hounds 
sent  in  came  out  no  more.  The  Dismal  Swamp 
colony  continued  from  generation  to  generation,  de- 
fying and  outwitting  the  slave-owners  right  in  the 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


95 


midst  of  one  of  the  strongest  slave-holding  commu- 
nities in  the  South. 

“ THE  AMISTAD  CAPTIVES.” 

Fifty-four  Africans  on  board  the  Spanish  slave- 
schooner  “Amistad,”  under  Captain  Ramon  Ferrer, 
on  June  28,  1839,  sailed  from  Havana,  Cuba,  for 
Porto  Principe,  another  place  on  the  island  of  Cuba, 
about  three  hundred  miles  distant  from  Havana. 
The  fifty-four  slaves  were  just  from  Lemboko,  their 
native  country  in  Africa.  Joseph  Cinquez,  son  of 
an  African  prince,  was  among  them.  He  was  shrewd, 
brave  and  intelligent.  He  looked  on  with  disgust 
at  the  cruel  treatment  given  him  and  his  fellow- 
slaves,  some  being  “chained  down  between  the 
decks — space  not  more  than  four  feet — by  their 
wrists  and  ankles ; forced  to  eat  rice,  sick  or  well, 
and  whipped  upon  the  slightest  provocation.”  Cin- 
quez  witnessed  the  brutality  as  long  as  his  noble 
nature  would  allow,  and  when  they  were  about  five 
nights  out  from  Havana,  he  chose  a company  of 
confederates  from  among  his  brethren  and  made  an 
assault  on  the  captain  of  the  boat,  and  took  him  and 
his  crew  prisoners.  Two  sailors  struck  out  for  land 
when  they  found  their  captain  and  cook  in  chains, 
and  left  the  boat  in  full  possession  of  the  Negroes. 
The  man  at  the  helm  (Montes)  was  ordered  to  steer 


96 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


direct  for  Africa,  under  pain  of  death.  This  he  did 
by  day,  but  at  night  would  make  towards  the  coast 
of  America.  Finally,  after  continual  wandering,  the 
vessel  was  cited  off  the  coast  of  the  United  States 
in  August.  All  the  ports  were  notified,  and  a num- 
ber of  revenue  cutters  were  dispatched  after  her. 
She  was  finally  captured  on  the  26th  of  August, 
1839,  by  Lieut.  Gidney  of  the  United  States  Navy, 
and  the  “Amistad”  and  her  fifty-four  Africans  were 
landed  in  New  London,  Connecticut.  The  two 
Spaniards  found  on  board  the  vessel  were  examined 
by  the  United  States  officials,  and  the  whole  number 
of  Africans  were  bound  over  to  await  trial  as  pirates. 
They  being  unable  to  give  bond  of  course  went  to 
prison,  but  not  to  stay  long.  Public  sentiment  was 
everywhere  aroused  in  their  favor  The  anti-slavery 
friends  organized  schools  among  them  ; the  Africans 
learned  rapidly  and  soon  told  all  the  details  of  the 
capture  of  the  “ Amistad  ” in  English  from  their  own 
lips  without  an  interpreter.  The  trial  occupied  sev- 
eral months,  during  which  they  busied  themselves 
in  cultivating  a garden  of  fifteen  acres  in  a most 
skillful  and  intelligent  manner.  Their  grievances 
were  told  all  over  America,  and  aroused  the  sympa- 
thies of  the  people.  Finally,  the  court  decided  that 
the  “Amistad  captives  ” were  not  slaves  but  free- 
men. A thrill  of  joy  passed  through  many  an 
American  heart,  as  well  as  their  own,  and  when  the 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


97 


news  of  this  decision  spread  abroad,  subscriptions 
began  to  come  in.  Mr.  Lewis  Tappan  took  a lively 
interest  in  the  Africans,  and  in  one  way  and  another 
soon  got  together  enough  money  to  send  them  home 
to  Africa,  where  they  so  much  wanted  to  go.  “ If 
’Merica  men  offered  me  as  much  gold  as  fill  this  cap,” 
said  one,  “and  give  me  houses,  land  and  everything, 
so  dat  I stay  in  this  country,  I say  No  ! No  ! ! I want 
to  see  my  father,  my  mother,  my  brother,  my  sister.” 
One  said,  “We  owe  everything  to  God;  He  keeps 
us  alive,  and  makes  us  free.  When  we  go  home  to 
Mendi,  we  tell  our  brethren  about  God,  Jesus  Christ 
and  Heaven. A One' was  asked,  if  he  was  again 
captured  and  about  to  be  sold  into  slavery,  would 
he  murder  the  captain  and  cook  of  another  vessel, 
and  if  he  wouldn’t  pray  for  rather  than  kill  them  ? 
Cinquez  heard  it  and  replied,  shaking  his  head, 
“Yes  ; I would  pray  for  ’em  and  kill  ’em,  too.” 

These  people  were  sent  to  Sierra  Leone  in  Africa 
in  company  with  five  sainted  missionaries.  Great 
Britain  sent  them  from  Sierra  Leone  to  their  homes, 
and  thus  their  efforts  for  freedom  were  successful. 


7 


98 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ANTI-SLAVERY  AGITATION. 

Slavery  or  No  Slavery  was  the  question  now 
before  the  American  people.  Millions  of  tracts, 
pamphlets,  circulars  and  newspapers,  besides  tile 
ministers  and  orators  of  the  North,  were  now  mak- 
ing sentiment  against  slavery.  The  people  of  the 
North  were  aroused. 

The  Census  of  1850  gave  a population  of  three 
and  one-half  million  slaves  in  America,  and  they 
lived  in  the  States  of  Delaware,  New  Jersey,  Mary- 
land, Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  Florida,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  Louisiana, 
Texas,  Arkansas,  Utah  Territory,  Kentucky,  Mis- 
souri and  Tennessee.  Soon  after  this  New  Jersey, 
Delaware  and  Maryland  freed  their  slaves. 

The  Political  Parties  were  forced  to  taxe  up 
the  slavery  question.  The  politicians  were  wily, 
and  yielded  to  both  sides  for  policy’s  sake.  The 
South  opposed  every  legislative  act  that  favored  the 
abolition  of  slavery.  The  great  Daniel  Webster 
hesitated  to  take  a decided  stand  either  way,  and  in 
1858  Charles  Sumner,  a staunch  anti-slavery  man, 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


99 


came  to  the  Senate  from  Massachusetts  in  Web- 
ster’s place.  Mr.  Sumner  said  more  and  did  more 
for  the  freedom  of  the  slave  than  any  of  the  great 
statesmen  of  his  time.  He  offered  no  compromise, 
and  asked  only  for  liberty  to  the  slaves. 

The  Fugitive  Slave  Law*  allowed  masters  to 
capture  their  slaves  in  any  State  of  the  Union. 
Hence  arose  the  underground  railroad,  which  was 
a secret  system  for  transporting  runaway  slaves  into 
Canada.  Some  slaves  were  sent  in  boxes,  and  some 
carried  in  the  night  from  one  person  to  another  un- 
til they  reached  the  Canadian  line.  A great  many 
runaway  slaves  made  good  their  escape  through 
this  system.f 

Mew  States  coming  into  the  Union  caused  great 
discussion  as  to  whether  they  should  come  in  as  free 
States  or  slave  States.  Civil  war  broke  out.  in 
Kansas  between  the  inhabitants  of  that  Territory 
who  wanted,  and  those  who  did  not  want,  slaves. 
The  anti-slavery  people  were  led  by,  John  Brown, 
afterwards  the  leader  in  an  attempt  to  capture  the 
arsenal  at  Harper’s  Ferry,  Virginia,  and  arm  the 
slaves.  He  was  hung  as  an  insurrectionist. 

Opposition  in  the  North  to  the  Abolitionists 


* It  was  Chief  Justice  Taney  who,  in  giving  his  decision  cn  this  law  in  the 
Dred- Scott  case,  said:  “A  Negro  has  no  rights  which  a white  man  is  bound 
to  respect.” 

f See  Underground  Railroad , by  William  Still- 


100 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


was  manifested  by  the  commercial  people,  who  saw 
nothing  in  the  whole  question  but  the  dollars  and 
cents  which  they  hoped  to  make  out  of  the  slave’s 
products  of  cotton,  tobacco-,  sugar,  and  rice.  But 
the  agitation  continued. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  endorsed  by  the  anti-slavery 
people,  was  proposed  as  the  Republican  candidate 
for  President  in  i860,  whereupon  South  Carolina 
declared  if  Lincoln  was  elected  she  would  secede 
from  the  Union.  Lincoln  was  elected,  and  accord- 
ingly South  Carolina  seceded,  and  was  soon  followed 
by  the  other  slave-holding  States. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


101 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

EXAMPLES  OF  UNDERGROUND  RAILROAD 
WORK. 

William  and  Ellen  Craft  were  slaves  in  the  State 
of  Georgia.  Their  hearts  yearned  for  freedom. 
Their  minds  were  at  once  set  to  work  to  formulate 
some  plan  of  escape.  It  was  at  last  settled. 
Ellen  being  very  fair,  while  William  was  dark, 
was  to  pass  for  a young  invalid  planter,  William 
being  her  slave  and  servant.  Not  being  able 
to  write,  and  without  beard,  she  put  her  hand 
into  a sling  and  tied  her  face  up;  after  putting  on 
male  attire  they  were  ready  to  start  out.  William 
attended  to  all  the  business,  .such  as  registering  at 
the  hotels  and  buying  tickets.  They  stopped  at  a 
first-class  hotel  in  Charleston,  and  also  in  Richmond, 
finally  reaching  Philadelphia  safely.  Ellen  gave  up 
her  male  attire,  untied  her  face,  released  her  arm 
from  the  sling,  and  her  speech  came  to  her.  They 
put  themselves  under  the  care  of  the  Abolitionists, 
were  sent  to  Boston,  but  after  the  passage  of  the 
Fugitive  Slave  Bill,  attempts  were  made  to  capture 
and  put  them  back  into  slavery  again.  They  were 
at  last  sent  to  England,  where  they  remained  for 
nearly  twenty  years;  then  they  returned  and  made 
their  home  in  Savannah,  Georgia,  where,  we  learn, 
they  are  still  living. 


102 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THU 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  SLAVE  POPULATION  OF  1860. 

In  the  sixteen  slave  States  there  were  3,950,000 
slaves  in  1860,  and  251,000  free  colored  people. 
Nearly  3,000,000  of  the  slaves  were  in  the  rural 
districts  of  the  South ; and  the  slave  products  of 
cotton,  tobacco,  rice,  sugar-cane,  hemp,  and  molasses, 
amounted  to  about  $1 36,505,435.  These  products, 
made  by  slave  labor,  formed  the  basis  of  Southern 
prosperity.  The  war  of  the  rebellion  which  com- 
menced in  the  following  year,  was  destined  to  shake 
the  very  foundation  of  Southern  civilization.  From 
a people  unaccustomed  to  hard  work,  it  was  to  take 
away  those  who  worked  for  them,  and  those  same 
people  who  were  to  be  taken  away  were  to  be  re- 
galed in  the  priceless  boon  of  citizenship.  Let  us 
now  study  some  of  the  efforts  of  Negroes  in  help- 
ing to  achieve  this  citizenship,  after  which  we  shall 
see  how  well  they  deserved  to  be  citizens. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


103 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION. 

ENLISTMENT  OF  NEGROES. 

The  Secession  of  South  Carolina  and  the  other 
Southern  States  was  the  signal  for  war.  True  to  its 
declaration  to  do  so,  this  State  seceded  when  Lincoln 
was  inaugurated  in  1861.  Fort  Slimier  was  fired  on 
by  the  Confederates  and  captured.  The  North  was 
divided  on  the  question  of  slavery,  and  the  Govern- 
ment at  Washington  was  slow  in  making  any  efforts 
to  stop  the  rebellion.  A few  troops  were  sent  into 
the  field  with  the  hope  of  frightening  the  South. 

The  Battle  of  Bull  Run  was  fought,  and  disgrace- 
fully lost  to  the  Union.  It  took  some  losses  and 
failures  to  make  the  North  believe  the  South  would 
fight.  Finally,  after  the  defeat  at  Bull  Run, 

Lincoln  issued  a Proclamation  for  75,000 
volunteers.  But  the  motto  was,  no  blacks  need  apply. 
There  was  great  prejudice  in  the  North  against  he 
Negro’s  enlisting  to  fight  for  his  freedom,  and  the 
President  was  also  opposed  to  it. 

The  Confederates  were  already  forming  Negro 
companies  for  the  defence  of  Richmond  and  build- 


104 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


ing  fortifications.  The  third  and  fourth  regiments 
of  Georgia  showed  one  Negro  company  as  they 
passed  through  Augusta  en  route  to  Virginia.  Free 
Negroes  enlisted  on  the  Confederate  side  at  New 
Orleans  and  Memphis.  They  were  highly  spoken 
of  by  the  Southern  papers.  But  the  North  seemed 
to  think  still  that  to  put  the  Negro  in  the  Union  blue 
would  disgrace  that  uniform. 

General  Hunter,  stationed  at  Port  Royal,  South 
Carolina,  did  not  agree  with  Congress  nor  the  Presi- 
dent. When  he  succeeded  General  Sherman,  in- 
structions from  the  Secretary  of  War  to  “accept  the 
services  of  all  loyal  persons  ” were  handed  him  ; and 
he  seized  this  opportunity  (there  being  nothing  said 
about  Negroes)  to  enlist  a Negro  regiment  of  fugi- 
tive slaves.  His  conduct  was  inquired  into  by  Mr. 
Wickliffe,  a Congressman  from  Kentucky,  and  a 
resolution  of  censure  was  offered. 

Major-General  Hunter  replied  to  the  inquiry 
made  in  Congress  as  to  his  enlisting  slaves,  that  the 
Negroes  seemed  to  be  the  only  loyal  people  in  that 
locality,  and  they  were  anxious  to  fight  for  their 
freedom,  and  gave  every  evidence  of  making  “ in- 
valuable auxiliaries.”  They  knew  the  country  and 
were  accustomed  to  the  climate. 

General  Phelps,  stationed  in  Louisiana  about 
this  time,  was  making  a bold  fight  for  the  enlistment 
of  Negroes  in  and  around  New  Orleans.  He  was 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


105 


opposed  by  General  Benj.  F.  Butler,  who  protested 
so  strongly  against  it  that  finally  General  Phelps 
was  forced  to  resign  and  return  to  his  home  in  Ver- 
mont. The  sentiment  of  the  Northern  army  seemed 
to  have  a conspicuous  leaning  towards  admitting  the 
right  of  the  South  to  hold  slaves.  General  Butler 
refused  the  runaway  slayes  quarters  in  his  head- 
quarters. McClellan,  a reeking  failure  as  a com- 
mander, said,  with  others,  that  if  he  thought  he  was 
fighting  to  free  the  “ niggers  ” he  would  sheath  his 
sword.  He  soon  failed  in  the  Virginia  campaign  and 
was  forced  to  resign. 

Mr.  Stevens  proposed  a bill  in  Congress  author- 
izing the  President  to  “raise  and  equip  1 50,000  sol- 
diers of  African  descent  ” Meanwhile  Col.  Thomas 
W.  Higginson  and  Col.  Montgomery,  with  a com- 
pany of  Negro  troops  were  ascending  the  St.  John 
River,  in  Florida,  where  he  captured  Jacksonville, 
which  had  been  abandoned  by  white  Union  Troops. 
Among  those  who  favored  Mr.  Stevens’  measure 

o , 

were  Horace  Greeley  and  Edwin  M.  Stanton,,  who 
seemed  to  have  been  convinced  of  the  worth  of  the 
colored  troops  from  the  testimony  of  such  men  as 
Phelps,  Higginson,  Hunter,  and  Montgomery,  who 
had  already  seen  what  Negro  troops  could  accom- 
plish. 

Public  Sentiment  was  being  aroused  on  the  sub- 
ject. The  newspapers  discussed  the  matter.  The 


106 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


New  York  Tribune  said:  “Drunkenness,  the  bane 
of  our  army,  does  not  exist  among  the  black  troops.” 
“ Nor  have  I yet  discovered  the  slightest  ground  of 
inferiority  to  white  troops.”  Mr.  Lincoln  very  soon 
changed  his  mind,  Congress  gave  its  consent,  and 
the  order  went  forth  to  enlist  Negroes  in  defence  of 
the  Union. 

The  Right  to  Fight  for  what  they  thought  would 
ultimately  end  in  their  freedom  was  hailed  with 
shouts  of  joy  wherever  the  tidings  reached  the  Ne- 
groes. 

At  Newbern,  N.  C.,  they  made  a great  demon- 
stration. The  enlisting  places  at  New  Orleans  and 
other  Southern  cities  then  in  the  hands  of  the  Fed- 
erals  were  the  scenes  of  the, wildest  confusion  in  the 
mad  rush  of  the  colored  people  to  register  their 
names  on  the  army  records. 

A Difficulty  arose  in  getting  sufficient  arms  for 
all  the  colored  troops;  and  a further  difficulty  was 
to  be  met  in  selecting  -white  officers  who  had  the 
courage  to  brave  public  sentiment  and  take  the  com- 
mand of  Negro  troops.  Negro  daring  and  excel- 
lency on  the  battle-field  soon  broke  down  these 
flimsy  weaknesses  of  the  white  officers,  and  the  sum- 
mer of  1863  found  over  100,000  Negroes  in  the 
Union  ranks,  and  over  50,000  armed  and  equipped 
on  the  fields  of  battle. 

Their  Pay  was  seven  dollars  per  month,  with 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


107 


board  and  clothing.  The  whites  received  thirteen 
dollars  per  month  with  board  and  clothing.  Thus 
the  former  slave  went  forth  to  meet  his  master  on 
the  battle-field,  sometimes  to  capture  or  be  captured  ; 
sometimes  to  fall  side  by  side,  one  pierced  with  the 
Southern,  the  other  with  the  Northern  bayonet. 

EMANCIPATION  PROCLAMATIONS. 

Two  Proclamations  were  issued  by  Mr.  Lin- 
coln. The  first,  on  the  2 2d  of  September,  1862,  de- 
fined the  issue  of  the  war  to  be  “for  the  object  of 
practically  restoring  the  constitutional  relation  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  each  of  the  States, 
and  the  people  thereof.”  It  offered,  first,  to  pay  the 
masters  for  their  slaves  and  colonize  them  in 
America  or  Africa.  Second,  it  proposed  to  free  the 
slaves  of  those  persons  and  States  then  engaged  in 
actual  rebellion.  Third,  it  offered  to  pay  from  the 
Federal  treasury  loyal  masters  who  had  lost  their 
slaves  in  and  during  the  rebellion. 

The  Second  Proclamation  was  issued  January 
1,  1863,  and  is  the  one  we  celebrate.  This  measure 
was  urged  upon  Mr.  Lincoln  by  the  Abolitionists 
and  those  who  wished  the  Negro  free.  It  did  not 
free  all  the  slaves.  Some  counties  were  left  out. 
Though  the  Abolitionists  saw  in  the  proclamation 
tHe  consummation  of  their  prayers  and  hopes,  Mr, 


108 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Lincoln  and  his  Cabinet  evidently  regarded  the 
proclamation  as  a war  measure,  very  necessary  un- 
der the  circumstances,  to  shorten  the  war.  The 
South  would  have  surrendered  in  half  the  time  had 
not  a large  number  of  slaves  remained  on  the  plan- 
tations raising  supplies  for  the  Confederate  army, 
and  supporting  and  protecting  their  masters’  fami- 
lies. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


109 


CHAPTER  XXil. 

EMPLOYMENT  OF  NEGRO  SOLDIERS. 

Mr.  Williams  Says:  “All  history,  ancient  and 
modern,  Pagan  and  Christian,  justified  the  conduct 
of  the  Federal  Government  in  the  employment  of 
slaves  as  soldiers.  Greece  had  tried  the  experiment, 
and  at  the  battle  of  Marathon  there  were  two  regi- 
ments composed  of  slaves.  The  beleagured  city  of 
Rome  offered  freedom  to  her  slaves  who  would  vol- 
unteer as  soldiers,  and  at  the  battle  of  Cannae  a regi- 
ment of  Roman  slaves  made  Hannibal’s  cohorts  reel 
before  their  unequalled  courage.  Negro  officers,  as 
well  as  soldiers,  had  shared  the  perils  and  glories  of 
the  campaigns  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte ; and  even 
the  Royal  Guard  at  the  Court  of  Imperial  France 
had  been  mounted  with  black  soldiers.  In  two  wars 
in  North  America,  Negro  soldiers  had  followed  the 
fortunes  of  military  life  and  won  the  applause  of 
white  patriots  on  two  continents.  So,  then,  all  his- 
tory furnished  a precedent  for  the  guidance  of  the 
United  States  Government  in  the  civil  war  of 
America.” 

Just  How  Well  the  Negro  Soldiers  Behaved 

may  be  gathered  from  a description  of 


110 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


SOME  FAMOUS  BATTLES  IN  WHICH  NEGROES  FOUGHT. 

Port  Hudson,  May  27,  1863.  The  Negro  regi- 
ment under  Col.  Nelson  was  assigned  the  difficult 
task  of  taking  this  fort,  which  seemed  almost  im- 
pregnable. It  was  situated  on  a high  bluff  overlook- 
ing the  river  in  front.  Around  the  sides  and  rear; 
close  under  the  bluff,  ran  a bayou  twelve  feet  deep 
and  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  wide.  Looking  out 
from  openings  in  the  embankment  were  the  grim 
mouths  of  many  deadly  cannon.  They  were  arranged 
so  as  to  make  a straight  raking  charge  bn  the  front 
of  any  approaching  force,  while  a score  and  a half 
of  heavy  guns  were  to  cut  down  the  left  and  right 
wings  with  grape  and  canister. 

Paving  marched  All  Night,  the  “ Black  Regi- 
ment ” stacked  arms  at  5 a.m.  One  hour  was  given 
for  rest  and  breakfast.  Many,  completely  overcome 
by  the  enervating  heat  and  dust,  sank  down  “ in  their 
tracks  ” and  slept. 

The  Officers  received  their  instructions  at  5.30, 
and  at  6 o’clock  the  bugle  sounded.  “ Fall  in!”  was 
heard  ringing  out  among  the  soldiers  ; -and  the  scene 
reminded  one  more  of  a holiday  party  than  a march 
to  death.  The  troops  seemed  anxious  to  fight.  The 
white  troops  looked  on  with  uneasiness  and  doubts 
concerning  the  Negro’s  courage.  The  Confederates 
in  the  fort  ridiculed  the  idea  that  Negroes  were  to 
charge  them. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


Ill 


The  Negro  Regiment  moved  towards  the  fort. 
There  was  death-like  silence,  save  the  tramp  of  sol- 
diers and  the  tap  of  drum.  “ Forward;  double-quick, 
march!”  rang  out  along  the  line;  not  a piece  was 
fired.  Now  the  Confederate  guns  open  on  the  left  ; 
one  shell  kills  twelve  men.  “ Right  about !”  was  the 
command ; the  regiment  wheeled  to  the  right  for 
about  three  hundred  yards,  then  coolly  and  steadily 
faced  the  enemy  again  by  companies. 

Six  Deathly  charges  were  thus  made,  when  Col. 
Nelson  reported  to  Gen.  Dwight  his  inability  to  take 
the  fort  because  of  the  bayou  being  too  deep  for 
the  men  to  wade.  Gen.  Dwight  replied  : “ I shall 
consider  that  he  has  accomplished  nothing  unless 
he  takes  those  guns.”  The  soldiers  saw  it  was 
impossible,  as  well  as  Col.  Nelson,  yet  “ again  the 
order  to  charge  ” was  obeyed  with  a shout. 

Captain  Andre  Callioux  commanded  Company 
E in  the  next  charge.  He  marched  his  colored 
brethren  over  the  dead  bodies  of  their  comrades, 
crying,  “Follow  me!”  and  while  .flashing  his  sword 
within  fifty  yards  of  the  belching  Confederate  guns, 
he  was  smitten  down  in  front  of  his  company  by  a 
shell. 

Color-Sergeant  Anselmas  Planciancois  said 

to  Col.  Nelson,  before  the  fight:  “ Colonel,  I will  bring 
back  these  colors  to  you  in  honor,  or  report  to  God 
the  reason  why.”  It  was  now  between  ll  and  12. 


112 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


o’clock  in  the  morning.  The  fight  began  at  7 a.m. 
The  gallant  Callioux  was  lying  dead  on  the  field. 
His  men  now  charged  almost  in  the  mouth  of  the 
Confederate  guns.  Planciancois  bore  the  flag  in 
front.  A shell  strikes  the  staff  and  blows  off  half 
of  the  brave  sergeant’s  head ; he  falls,  wrapped  in 
the  folds  of  his  nation’s  flag,  his  brains  scattered 
amid  them,  but  still  his  strong  grip  holds  the  staff 
even  in  death,  till 

Corporal  Heath  catches  it  up  to  bear  it  to  the 
front  again.  Pierced  by  a musket-ball  which  split 
his  head,  he,  too,  falls  upon  the  body  of  the  brave 
Planciancois.  Still  another  corporal  lifts  the  flag 
and  bears  it  through  the  fray.  And  thus  the  Negro 
troops,  on  almost  their  very  first  trial,  silenced  all 
clamors  as  to  their  bravery.  Port  Hudson  was  not 
taken  then,  but  the  reason  for  defeat  lay  not  in  a 
lack  of  unrivalled  daring  and  heroic  courage  on  the 
part  of  the  Negro  troops.  The  loss  was  37  killed 
and  wounded,  and  missing  271. 

The  New  York  Times  says  of  this  battle:  “ Gen. 
Dwight,  at  least,  must  have  had  the  idea  not  only  that 
they  (Negro  troops)  were  men,  but  something  more 
than  men  from  the  terrific  test  to  which  he  put  dieir 
valor.  The  deeds  of  heroism  performed  by  these 
men  were  such  as  the  proudest  white  men  might 
emulate.  Their  colors  are  literally  bespattered  with 
blood  and  brains. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


113 


“The  color-sergeant  of  the  ist  Louisiana,  on 
being  mortally  wounded,  hugged  the  colors  to  his 
breast,  when  a struggle  ensued  between  the  two  color 
corporals  on  each  side  of  him  as  to  who  should  have 
the  honor  of  bearing  the  sacred  standard.  One  black 
lieutenant  actually  mounted  the  enemy’s  works  four 

times Although  repulsed  in  an  attempt  which 

— situated  as  things  were — was  all  but  impossible, 
these  regiments,  though  badly  cut  up,  were  still  on 
hand,  and  burning  with  a passion  ten  times  hotter 
from  their  fierce  baptism  of  blood.” 

General  Banks  wrote,  concerning  the  ll  Black 
Regiment”  at  Port  Hudson  : “ It  gives  me  pleasure 
to  report  that  they  answered  every  expectation. 
Their  conduct  was  heroic.”  The  success  of  the  Ne- 
gro troops  at  Port  Hudson  rang  in  the  halls  of  Con- 
gress, in  the  lecture-room,  in  the  pulpit,  in  the  news- 
papers ; poets  sang  of  it,  and  Northern  orators  vied 
with  each  other  in  eloquent  pictures  of  the  scene  of 
that  great  fight  which  settled  the  question  as  to  the 
Negro’s  fitness  for  the  army. 

Milliken’s  Bend,  6th  of  June,  1863.  The  Con- 
federates came  up  from  Louisiana,  about  3000  strong. 
They  rested  over  might,  while  the  Federals  were 
collecting  at  the  temporary  fort  in  the  bend  of  the 
Mississippi.  The  Union  men  of  war  “ Choctaw  ” and 
“Lexington  ” appeared,  coming  up  the  river  before 
daylight,  pn  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  June,  which. 


114 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


was  the  time  the  Confederates  made  their  first 
charge,  yelling,  “No  quarter  to  Negroes  and  their 
officers  !”  The  Negro  troops  were  without  training, 
being  lately  recruited,  but  they  fought  like  veterans. 
The  Confederates  fell  back  under  their  heavy  fire 
in  front,  and  charged  the  Union  flanks.  Upon  this 
the  Union  troops  found  shelter  from  the  gun-boats, 
and  broadside  after  broadside  made  the  Confederates 
hasten  away. 

An  Eye  Witness’  Description:  “As  before 
stated,  the  Confederates  drove  our  force  towards 
the  gun-boats,  taking  colored  men  prisoners.  * This 
so  enraged  them  that  they  rallied  and  charged  the 
enemy  more  heroically  and  desperately  than  has 
been  recorded  during  the  war.  It  was  a genuine 
bayonet  charge,  a hand-to-hand  fight,  that  has 
nelver  occurred  to  any  extent  during  this  pro- 
longed conflict.  Upon  both  sides  men  were  killed 
with  the  butts  of  muskets.  White  and  colored 
men  were  lying  side  by  side  pierced  by  bayon- 
ets, and  in  some  instances  transfixed  to  the  earth. 
One  brave  man  took  his  former  master  prisoner, 
and  brought  him  into  camp  with  great  gusto;  A 
Confederate  prisoner  made  a particular  request  that 
his  own  Negroes  should  not  be  placed  over  him  as 
a guard. 

“Union  loss,  one  hundred  killed,  five  hundred 
wounded,  mostly  Negroes.  Confederate  loss  two 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


115 


hundred  killed,  five  hundred  wounded,  two  hundred 
taken  prisoners,  and  two  cannon.” 

The  battles  of  Fort  Pillow  and  Milliken’s  Bend 
made  many  friends  for  the  colored  soldiers.  Their 
soldierly  qualities  were  on  trial ; the  experiment  of 
arming  Negroes  to.  fight  for  the  Union  was  being 
tried.  This  the  colored  troops  seemed  to  realize, 
and  it  stimulated  them  to  do  their  very  best.  They 
fought  courageously,  and  fully  satisfied  all  doubts 
concerning  their  valor. 

The  Draft  Riot  broke  out  in  New  York  in  July, 
1863.  An  order  came  from  Washington,  authoriz- 
ing soldiers  to  be  drafted  in  New  York  City.  The 
Democratic  newspapers  ridiculed  the  idea  of  the 
people’s  being  drafted  into  service  “ to  fight  the 
battles  of  ‘ niggers  and  Abolitionists.’  ” General 
Wood  finally  put  down  the  riot  after  killing  thir- 
teen of  the  rioters,  wounding  eighteen  and  taking 
twenty-four  prisoners.  “ They  had  burned  the 
Colored  Orphan’s  Asylum,  hung  colored  men  to 
lamp-posts,  and  destroyed  the  property  of  this  class 
of  citizens  with  impunity.” 

The  54th  Massachusetts  was  the  first  colored 
regiment  organized  in  the  free  States,  Colonel  Shaw 
commander.  It  played  a prominent  part  in  the 
attempt  to  take  Fort  Wagner , near  Charleston, 
S.  C.  It  marched  two  days  and  nights  through 
swamps  and  drenching  rains  to  be  in  time  for  the 
assault  Soaking  wet,  muddy,  hungry  and  fatigued, 


il6 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


117 


they  reached  the  field  in  time  and  gladly  accepted 
the  "post  of  honor  and  danger,”  immediately  in 
front.  After  a five  minutes’  rest  they  double- 
quicked  a half-mile  to  the  fort,  where,  after  a most 
gallant  and  desperate  fight,  Sergeant  William  H. 
Carney  planted  the  regimental  flag  on  the  works. 
Nearly  all  the  officers  of  the  regiment  were  killed, 
and  it  was  led  off  by  a boy — Lieut.  Higginson. 

“Sergeant  Carney,”  says  an  eye  witness,  “re- 
ceived a severe  wound  in  the  thigh,  but  fell  only  upon 
his  knees.  He  planted  the  flag  upon  the  parapet, 
lay  on  the  outer  slope,  that  he  might  get  as  much 
shelter  as  possible  ; there  he  remained  for  over  half 
an  hour,  till  the  second  brigade  came  up.  He  kept 
his  colors  flying  till  the  second  conflict  was  ended. 
When  our  forces  retired,  he  followed,  creeping  on 
one  knee,  still  holding  the  flag.”  When  he  entered 
the  hospital  (bleeding  from  one  wound  in  the  head 
and  another  in  the  thigh)  “ his  wounded  comrades 
cheered  him,”  and  he  said,  “ Boys,  the  old  flag  never 
touched  the  ground." 

The  Negro  Soldiers.  The  sentiment  against 
the  Negro  at  the  North  had  somewhat  abated  in  the 
face  of  the  irresistible  bravery  as  exhibited  by  Ne- 
gro troops  at  Wagner  and  Port  Hudson.  The 
North  saw  that  wonderful  results  could  be  achieved 
by  Negro  soldiers. 

The  Confederates  exchanged  before  this  some 
Union  officers,  but  refused  to  exchange  Negroes. 


118 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

FORT  PILLOW. 
r 

This  fort  is  located  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Mississippi,  about  fifty  miles  above  Memphis,  in 
Tennessee.  It  crowned  the  top  of  a steep  bluff, 
covered'  with  trees  and  shrubbery.  Major  L.  F. 
Booth  was  in  command  with  a garrison  of  557  men, 
262  of  whom  were  colored.  There  were  six  artil- 
lery pieces.  Gen.  N.  B.  Forest,  commanding  a large 
force  of  Confederate  cavalry,  appeared  at  the  fort  at 
sunrise  on  the  13th  of  April,  1864,  and  demanded 
its  surrender.  Major  Booth  drew  up  his  force  in 
the  intrenchments  around  the  parapet.  Thus  a con- 
tinual firing  was  kept  up  till  the  afternoon,  during 
which  Major  Booth  was  killed.  Major  Bradford 
took  command.  The  firing  ceased  for  the  guns  to 
cool  off  and  to  be  cleaned.  Meanwhile,  under  a 
flag  of  truce,  Gen.  Forest  demanded  the  surrender 
of  the  fort,  stating,  “ If  I have  to  storm  your  works, 
you  may  expect  no  quarter.”  The  Confederates, 
taking  advantage  of  the  truce,  were  hiding  in  the 
trenches  from  which  Major  Bradford  had  with- 
drawn his  men  into  the  fort.  A few  moments  later 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


119 


they  rushed  in  with  their  deafening  yell — “ No 
quarter !” 

The  Union  troops  offered  stubborn  resistance, 
but,  with  superior  numbers  crowding  in  from  front, 
rear,  and  sides,  they  were  overcome  and  surren- 
dered. 

The  War  in  the  West  was  now  .about  at  an 
end.  Sherman  set  out  upon  his  famous  march 
through  Georgia  ; Grant,  having  opened  up  the  Mis- 
sissippi, marched  on  Richmond,  which  had  now  be- 
come the  strategic  point  of  the  war.  McClellan, 
Hooker,  Meade,  and  Burnside,  had  failed  in  their 
assaults  on  this  the  Confederate  capital.  All  hopes 
were  now  centred  on  Grant.  To  him  was  assigned 
the  task,  and  this  brings  us  to  the 

CAMPAIGN  IN  VIRGINIA,  1 864. 

Twenty  Thousand  Strong  marched  the  Negro 
troops  into  the  campaign  of  Virginia.  On  their  way 
they  passed  through  Washington.  Mr.  Lincoln, 
with  General  Burnsides  and  friends,  reviewed  the 
long  line  from  the  balcony  of  Willard’s  Hotel.  As 
the  long,  heavy  columns  filed  past,  the  President  ac- 
knowledged their  almost  continuous  “ Hurrah  for 
Lincoln ! ” He  was  deeply  touched  by  the  spectacle  ; 
there  were  tears  in  many  eyes  that  saw  the  brave 
thousands  of  sable  sons,  but  a little  while  ago  slaves. 


m 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  0F  THE 


now  gallantly  marching  to  defend  the  Union.  It 
was  a scene  never  forgotten  by  those  who  saw  it. 

With  Equal  Pay,  a recognition  as  soldiers  by 
Mr.  Davis,  and  a brilliant  record,  marched  the  Negro 
troops  into  the  Virginia  campaign.  Gen.  Butler,  who 
was  now  convinced  by  the  scenes  at  Port  Hudson, 
Forts  Pillow  and  Wagner,  of  the  Negro’s  capacity 
for  fighting,  was  stationed  at  Bermuda  Hundreds 
with  a large  corps  of  Negro  troops. 

Grant  threw  his  Forces  across  the  Rapidan 
and  met  the  Confederates  in  The  Wilderness.  He  left 
Gen.  Ferrero  with  his  colored  troops  to  protect  his 
wagon  train  in  the  rear.  Ewell  with  the  Confede- 
rate cavalry  whipped  around  in  search  of  these  sup- 
plies. Gen.  Ferrero  with  his  Negro  troops  met 
Ewell.  The  Confederates  made  a bold  charge  and 
captured  twenty-seven  wagons.  The  hungry  sol- 
diers prepared  to  feast  on  their  plunder. 

Gen.  Ferrero  opened  fire.  The  Confederates 
charged  again,  giving  the  colored  troops  their  very 
best,  but  the  Negro  regiments  did  not  budge.  Gen 
Ferrero  then  ordered  his  troops  to  charge,  and,  in 
this  the  first  fight  between  Negro  troops  and  Vir- 
ginians, the  Confederates  were  driven  “as  the  gale 
drives  chaff.”  “ It  was  the  first  time  at  the  East,” 
says  Gen.  Badeau,  in  his  Military  History  of  Grant, 
“ when  the  colored  troops  had  been  engaged  in  any 
important  battle,  and  the  display  of  soldierly  quali- 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


121 


ties  won  a frank  acknowledgment  from  both  troops 
and  commanders,  not  all  of  whom  had  before  been 
willing  to  look  upon  Negroes  as  comrades.  But 
after  that  time,  white  soldiers  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  were  not  displeased  to  receive  the  support 
of  the  black  ones  ; they  had  found  the  support  worth 
having.” 


122 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

AROUND  PETERSBURG. 

Here  it  was  that  Negro  soldiers  covered  them- 
selves with  merited  glory  in  the.  presence  of  white 
troops  on  both  sides ; surprising  in  their  daring  to 
officers  trained  at  West  Point,  and  that,  too,  on  the 
very  soil  where  slavery  first  made  its  appearance  in 
this  country. 

The  City  of  Petersburg  lies  on  the  Appomattox 
river  near  the  James,  and  not  far  from  Richmond, 
with  which  it  has  railroad  connection,  and  formed 
the  base  of  supplies  up  the  James  for  the  troops  in 
defence  of  Richmond.  It  therefore  became  an  im- 
portant point  to  reduce.  It  was  strongly  fortified 
on  all  sides  for  miles  out. 

< The  Task  of  Taking  the  “ Cockade  City,”  as 
it  was  called,  fell  to  Gen.  Smith,  assisted  by  Gen. 
Kautz,  coming  up  on  the  east,  Brooks  following 
Kautz;  Martindale,  who  was  to  move  up  the  Appo- 
mattox, and  Hinks,  who  moved  between  the  two.  The 
Black  Brigade  was  under  Gen.  Hinks,  who  discov- 
ered a Confederate  battery  on  a knoll  six  miles  out 


NEORO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


123 


from  the  city.  Under  range  of  the  Confederate  guns 
he  Formed  his  line  for  a charge.  The  battery  must 
be  taken  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  “ Forward  !” 
rang  out  along  the  line,  and  as  the  troops  cleared 
the  woods,  the  enemy  opened  a raking  fire  with 
canister,  siege-gun  and-  musket.  But  away  swept 
the  black  brigade,  their  ranks  shattered  with  deadly 
shells.  As  they  closer  came,  a.fusilade  of  musketry 
came  down  upon  them ; a hundred  men  fell ; but 
leaping  and  dashing,  with  a wild  cheer,  they  burst 
'over  the  bulwarks,  drove  the  enemy  from  their  guns, 
and  instantly  turned  them  on  their  scattered  ranks 
beating  a hasty  retreat  towards  Petersburg — and  the 
colored  troops  had  won  the  day. 

Brooks  and  Martindale  were  now  in  front  of 
the  Confederates’  main  line  near  the  river.  Hinks, 
with  his  Negro  corps  of  3000,  was  ordered  towards 
“ Dunn’s  House,”  three  miles  from  the  city  on  the 
road  leading  east. 

To  Reach  His  Position  it  was  necessary  to  cross 
an  open  space  in  full  reach  of  the  sharp-shooters 
and  artillery  of  the  enemy.  They  crossed  this  space 
by  moving  forward  a few  paces  and  then  lying  down ; 
at  every  quiet  moment  they  would  steal  forward ; 
they  thus  reached  their  position  under  the  most 
trying  test.  But  on  reaching  their  post,  so  thick 
and  deadly  was  the  firing  from  all  sides  that  they 
dared  not  rise ; so  thus  they  lay  from  one  till  five 


124 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


o’clock  p.m.,  while  tprrents  of  lead  whizzed  over  their 
heads. 

“Dunn’s  House”  was  defended  by  three  fortst 
one  in  front,  one  north,  and  another  south.  Deep 
ravines  lay  in  front,  while  an  almost  impassable 
abatis  of  trees  impeded  the  way  to  the  forts.  Seven 
hundred  yards  in  front  lay  Hinks’  black  troops  hun- 
gry for  the  fray.  Thus  they  lay  in  deep  suspense, 
anxious  for  orders  to  go  forward.  Meanwhile, 
shells  plowed  the  earth  around  them  for  four  long 
hours,  which  seemed  to  them  like  days, 

At  Five  o’clock  the  command  “Forward!”  was 
greeted  with  a rush  and  a shout.  The  brave  Negro 
troops  went  forward  at  a double-quick;  the  skir- 
mishers were  the  first  to  reach  the  embankments, 
and  were  greeted  with  a shower  of  bullets  which 
tumbled  many  headlong  and  lifeless  into  the  pits. 
But  on  came  the  main  body  as  if  impelled  by  light- 
ning ; they  swept  into  the  midst  of  the  enemy, 
grabbed  their  guns  and  fired  them  upon  them  as 
they  “ran  for  their  lives.”  Three  hundred  Confed- 
erates were  taken  prisoners,  and  several  pieces  of 
artillery  were  captured. 

Smith  Had  Petersburg  now  at  his  mercy. 
Brooks  and  Martindale  had  swept  the  enemy  in 
front  of  them  simultaneously  with  Hinks,  and  the 
way  was  open  to  march  immediately  into  the  city. 
Gen.  Smith,  however*  decided  to  wait  for  the  arrival 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


125 


of  Gen.  Birney  with  the  Second  Corps — and  this 
delay  caused  the  loss  of  many  thousand  lives. 

Next  Morning,  as  the -sun. peeped  up  over  the 
yellow  waters  of  the  Appomattox,  the  condition  of 
things  had  changed.  The  flower  of  Lee’s  army  had 
come  up  in  the  night-time,  and  Grant  was  compelled 
afterwards  to  lay  siege  to  the  city,  under  which  it 
finally  surrendered.. 

Secretary  Stanton  was  wild  with  delight  over  the 
valor  of  the  colored  troops  at  Petersburg.  Said  he  : 
“ The  hardest  fighting  was  done  by  the  black  troops. 
The  forts  they  stormed  were  the  worst  of  all.  After 
the  affair  was  over,  Gen.  Smith  went  to  thank  them, 
and  tell  them  he  was  proud  of  their  courage  and 
dash.  He  says  they  cannot  be  excelled  as  soldiers, 
and  that  hereafter  he  will  send  them  in  a difficult 
place  as  readily  as  the  white  troops.” 


126 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  CRATER. 

Petersburg  was  now  surrounded  by  the  Union 
army.  There  was  continual  skirmishing.  Burnside 
commanded  the  Ninth  Corps,  composed  partly  of 
Negro  troops.  By  fierce  fighting  he  made  his  way 
up  to  within  a hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  Con- 
federate batteries.  Projecting  out  in  front  of  them 
was  a strong  fort.  After  consultation  a trench  was 
dug  out  some  hundred  and  fifty  yards  long,  branch- 
ing off  in  two  directions  at  the  end  under  the  fort. 
It  was  packed  with  powder  and  explosives,  the  de- 
sign being  to  blow  the  place  up.  As  arranged,  on 
the  30th  of  July,  1864,  the  match  was  applied. 
Dampness  prevented  an  explosion.  Lieut.  Jacob 
Douty  and  Sergeant  Henry  Rus  volunteered  to  go 
into  the  trenches  and  ascertain  and  remove  the 
difficulty,  and  very  soon  after  they  came  out,  at  4.45 
a.m.,  the  match  was  again  applied,  and — read  the 
result,  by  Gen.  Badeau  : “The  mine  exploded  with 
a shock  like  that  of  an  earthquake,  tearing  up  the 
Confederates’  fvorks  above  them,  and  vomiting  men, 
guns  and  caissons,  two  hundred  feet  into  the  air. 
The  tremendous  mass  appeared  for  a moment  tq 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


127 


hang  suspended  in  the  heavens  like  a huge  indented 
cone,  the  exploding  powder  still  flashing  out  here 
and  there,  while  limbs  and  bodies  of  mutilated  men, 
and  fragments  of  cannon  and  wood-work,  could  be 
seen.  Then  all  fell  heavily  to  the  ground  again, 
with  a second  report  like  thunder;  When  the 
smoke  and  dust  had  cleared  away,  only  an  enormous 
crater,  thirty  feet  deep,  sixty  feet  wide,  and  a hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  long,  stretched  out  in  front  of  the 
Ninth  Corps,  where  the  Confederate  fort  had  been.” 

At  the  moment  of  the  explosion  the  Union  bat- 
teries belched  forth  from  one  hundred  and  ten  deadly 
cannon  and  fifty  mortars,  and  verily  the  earth 
seemed  to  tremble  from  the  shock. 

The  Plan  was  to  follow  the  discharge  of  the  bat- 
teries with  a charge.  Gen.  Burnside  had  arranged 
his  Negro  troops  for  the  post  of  honor.  A dispute 
arose  between  him  and  Gen.  Meade  as  to  the  wis- 
dom of  this  plan.  The  whole  matter  was  referred 
to  Gen.  Grant,  who  ordered  lots  to  be  drawn  by  the 
different  Generals  as  to  “ who  should  go  into  the 
crater.”  The  lot  fell  on  Gen.  Ledlie.  Gen.  Ledlie 
accordingly  endeavored  to  draw  up  his  troops  into 
the  mouth  of  the  crater.  The  Tenth  New  Hamp- 
shire faltered  and  broke  ranks.  Generals  Potter  and 
WilcOx  marched  their  troops  into  the  dreadful  hole, 
where  they  halted  long  enough  for  the  Confederates 
to  make  an  attack. 


128 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Gen.  Potter  Struggled  out  with  his  division  and 
charged  the  enemy,  but  had  to  retire.  Gen.  Burn- 
side now  ordered  his  colored  troops  around  the 
edges  of  the  crater  ; the  Confederates  were  now 
gathering  around  from  all  sides,  and  under  a heavy 
fire  drove  the  colored  troops  into  the  deadly  hole, 
from,  which  they  continued  to  rally  until  nightfall. 

A Ridiculous  Mistake  was  made  by  the  Federals 
in  not  marching  into  the  city  immediately  after  the 
explosion,  when  the  Confederates  were  nonplussed 
and  breaking  away  in  mad  confusion.  Gen.  Grant 
says  of  this  disgraceful  affair:  “The  four  divisions 
of  his  (Burnside’s)  corps  were  commanded  by 
Generals  Potter,  Wilcox,  Ledlie  and  Ferrero.  The 
last  was  a colored  division  ; and  Burnside  selected 
it  to  make  the  assault.  Meade  interfered  with 
this.  Burnside  then  took  Ledlie’s  division.” 

Before  the  committee  that  investigated  the  affair 
Gen.  Grant  said  : “ General  Burnside  wanted  to  put 
his  colored  division  in  front , I believe  if  he  had 
done  so  it  would  have  been  a success.” 

Four  Thousand  Four  Hundred  Union  soldiers 
perished  through  the  mistake  then  of  not  allowing 
the  colored  troops  to  take  the  Confederate  works 
which  Gen.  Grant  says  they  would  have  taken. 

How  the  Colored  Soldiers  fought  in  the  crater , 
let  the  Confederate  commanders  (some  of  whose 
slaves  were  there)  speak : “ Ah,  boys,  you  have  got 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


129 


hot  work  ahead — they  are  Negroes  and  show  no 
quarter.”  (Col.  Stewart.) 

“ Encouraged,  Threatened,  Emulating  the 
white  troops,  the  black  men  fought  with  desperation. 
Some  Confederate  soldiers  recognized  their  slaves  at 
the  crater.  A Captain  of  the  Forty-first  Virginia 
gave  the  military  salute  to  * Bob’  and  ‘ Ben,’  whom 
he  had  left  hoeing  corn  in  Dinwiddie.” 

Petersburg  being  Captured,  the  siege  of  Rich- 
mond was  begun  with  a vigor  and  determination 
such  as  only  a Grant  could  command.  Meanwhile, 
a lively  discussion  was  going  on  at  the  Confederate 
capital  as  to  the  proposition  of  Mr.  Benjamin  to  arm 
the  slaves  in  defence  of  the  city.  Gen.  Lee  and  Mr. 
Jefferson  Davis  favored  this  plan,  and  recommended 
that  such  colored  people  as  would  join  the  Confed- 
erate ranks  should  be  set  free. 

Some  Score  or  More  Blacks,  three  of  whom 
were  Mr.  Benjamin’s  slaves,  enlisted  and  were  daily 
drilled  in  the  capitol  square,  which  stands  on  an 
eminence  in  the  centre  of  the  city. 

Gen.  Lee  was  now  employing  his  best  troops 
and  military  manoeuvres  to  keep  Grant  out  of  the 
Confederate  capital.  His  retreats  and  skirmishes, 
executed  with  genius  and  tact,  delayed  the  event; 
but  opposed  by  superior  numbers,  his  army  half- 
starved,  and  the  Confederacy  subjugated  in  the 
Southwest,  he  saw  the  uselessness  of  a further  hope* 

9 


130 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


less  sacrifice  of  his  men,  and  surrendered  accordingly 
at  Appomattox,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1865,  “ he,  and 
his  army,  defeated  in  every  way  possible,  numbering 
27,516,”  and  “ every  man  was  fed  by  the  conqueror.” 

When  the  Union  Army  marched  into  Rich- 
mond, the  Confederates  set  the  city  on  fire,  and  com- 
menced a wholesale  destruction  and  plunder  of 
everything.  Thousands  of  gallons  of  rum  were 
emptied  into  the  streets,  and  staggering  destruction 
of  everything  useful  seemed  in  order.  The  colored 
troops  were ‘organized  into  fire  brigades,  and  soon 
extinguished  the  fires  and  stopped  the  plunder  their 
masters  had  begun. 


A'£fc*0  RACE  M AMERICA. 


131 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

INCIDENTS  OF  THE  WAR. 

Rodman’s  Point,  N.  C.,  was  the  scene  of  a 
brave  deed  by  a Negro.  A flat-boat  full  of  troops, 
with  a few  colored  soldiers  among  them,  tried  to 
land  at  this  place.  The  Confederate  soldiers  were 
lying  in  wait  for  the  boat,  and  the  soldiers  in  it  could 
only  save  themselves  by  lying  flat  on  the  bottom 
out  of  reach  of  their  deadly  guns.  But  if  the  boat 
remained  where  it  was  very  long  it  would  be  sur- 
rounded and  captured.  One  of  the  colored  soldiers 
saw  the  danger,  and  knowing  the  boat  must  be 
pushed  off  Or  ail  would  be  killed,  suddenly  rose  up 
and  said  : “ Somebody  got  to  die  to  get  us  all  out 
dis  ’ere,  and  it  mout  jes  as  well  be  me  as  anybody  !” 
Saying  this  he  deliberately  stepped  on  shore  and 
pushed  the  boat  off.  The  men  in  the  bottom  were 
saved,  but  the  Negro  hero’s  body  “fell  forward  into 
the  end  of  the  boat  pierced  by  five  bullets.”  He 
had  done  what  no  other  of  them  dared  do  to  save 
the  lives  of  his  comrades. 

A Negro  Established  a Clothes-line  Tele- 
graph in  the  Falmouth  camp  on  the  Rappahannock 


1 32 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


in  1863.  The  Confederate  and  Union  armies  occu- 
pied opposite  sides  of  the  river  and  used  every 
means  of  gaining  knowledge  of  each  other’s  move- 
ments. The  colored  attendant  in  the  Union  camp 
proved  very  valuable  here  as  elsewhere  during  the 
war.  A colored  man  named  Dabney  drifted  into 
the  Union  lines  one  day  from  a neighboring  farm, 
and  soon  proved  very  useful  because  of  his  full 
knowledge  of  the  topography  of  the  country.  He 
was  given  employment  as  “ cook  and  body  servant.” 
He  became  much  interested  in  the  system  of  army 
signals  employed,  and  begged  to  have  them  ex- 
plained to  him.  This  was  done,  and  he  learned 
them  readily.  His  wife  soon  came  over,  and  after 
staying  awhile  was  allowed  to  return  as  servant  to 
a “secesh  woman”  whom  General  Hooker  was 
about  to  send  to  her  friends  on  the  other  side.  She 
went  over  and  took  a place  as  laundress  at  “ the 
headquarters  of  a prominent  rebel  General.”  Dab- 
ney, her  husband,  was  on  the  Union  side,  and  soon 
began  to  know  all  about  what  was  to  take  place  in 
the  Confederate  camp.  An  hour  or  two  before  any 
movement  took  place  he  could  tell  all  about  it,  and 
it  always  turned  out  as  he  said.  The  wonder  and 
puzzle  to  the  Union  men  was  how  he  got  his  infor- 
mation, as  he  didn’t  seem  to  neglect  his  work  to  go 
off  for  any  information,  and  did  not  converse  with 
the  scouts.  After  numerous  questions  and  many 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


133 


requests  he  finally  took  one  of  the  officers  to  a 
prominent  point  near  by,  and  pointed  out  a cabin  on 
the  banks  of  the  river  in  the  suburbs  of  the  enemy’s 
camp.  He  asked  the  officer  if  he  saw  a clothes-line 
with  clothes  hanging  on  it.  The  officer  replied 
“Yes,”  whereupon  Dabney  said  : “Well,  that  clothes- 
line tells  .me  in  half  an  hour  just  what  goes  .on  ia 
their  camp.  You  see,  my  wife  over  there,  she  washes 
for  the  officers,  and  cooks  and  vraits  around,  and  as 
soon  as  she  hears  of  any  movement  or  anything 
going  on  she  comes  down  and  moves  the  clothes  on 
that  line-so  I can  understand  it  in  a minute.  That 
there  gray  shirt  is  Longstreet,  and  when  she  takes 
it  off  it  means  he’s  gone  down  about  Richmond. 
That  white  shirt  means  HhJ,  and  when  she  moves  it 
up  to  the  west  end  of  the  line,  Hill’s  Corps  has 
moved  up  stream.  That  red  one  is  Stonewall.  He’s 
down  on  the  right  now,  and  if  he  moves  she  will 
move  that  red  shirt.”  One  morning  Dabney  came 
in  and  reported  a movement  over  there,  but  said  it 
“Don’t  mean  anything,  they  are  only  making  be- 
lieve.” An  officer  went  out  to  look  at  the  clothes- 
line telegraph  through  his  field-glass.  There  had 
been  quite  a shifting  over  there  of  the  army  flannels, 
“But  how  do  you  know  but  there’s  something  in  it?” 
“Do  you  see  those  two  blankets  pinned  together  at 
the  bottom  ?”  said  Dabney.  “ Yes,  but  what  of  it  ?” 
said  the  officer.  “ Why,  that’s  her  way  of  making  a 


134 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


fish-trap  ; and  when  she  pins  the  clothes  together 
that  way,  it  means  that  Lee  is  only  trying  to  draw 
us  into  his  fish-trap.”  As  long  as  the  two  armies 
lay  watching  each  other  on  opposite  banks  of  the 
stream,  Dabney  with  his  clothes-line  telegraph  con- 
tinued to  be  one  of  the  promptest  and  most  reliable 
of  General  Hooker’s  scouts.  (Taken  from  Civil 
War — Song  and  Story.) 

William  Staines,  Hero  of  the  Fight  at  Bel- 
mont, was  servant  to  General  McClernand.  He 
was  close  by  his  employer  during  many  an  engage- 
ment. On  one  occasion,  in  the  course  of  the  fight, 
a captain  of  one  of  the  companies  was  struck  by  a 
spent  ball,  which  disabled  him  from  walking.  Staines, 
the  colored  servant,  rode  up  to  him  and  shouted, 
“Captain,  if  you  can  fight  any  longer  for  the  Stars 
and  Stripes,  take  my  horse  and  lead  your  men.” 
He  then  dismounted  and  helped  the  wqunded  officer 
into  his  saddle,  and,  as  he  was  walking  away,  a rebel 
draeoon  rushed  forward  at  the  officer  to  take  him 
prisoner.  The  brave  Staines  did  not  flinch,  but  drew 
his  revolver  and  put  a ball  through  the  rebel’s  head, 
scattering  his  brains  over  the  horse’s  neck.  (Re- 
vised from  Civil  War— Song  and. Story.) 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA . 


135 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  END  OF  THE  WAR. 

For  four  years  the  American  people  had  been 
fighting  among  themselves.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
struggle  -the  freedom  of  the  slaves  was  not  looked 
for  by  many.  But  the  Abolitionists,  who  grew 
stronger  as  the  war  progressed,  pressed  their  views 
upon  the  leaders  of  the  country.  They  took  every 
advantage  of  every  opportunity  to  make  the  freedom 
of  the  slaves  the  main  issue  of  the  war  ; and  their 
efforts,  coupled  with  the  desire  of  the  Union  leaders 
to  weaken  the  Confederacy  by  employing  Negro 
troops,  to  whom  they  offered  freedom,  caused  the 
final  proclamation  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  in  1863,  giving 
freedom  to  the  slaves. 

In  this  war  there  were  employed  on  the  Union 
side  more  than  186,000  colored  soldiers,  whose 
bravery  stands  vouched  for  by  every  Union,'  and 
many  Confederate  generals,  who  saw  them  as  dar- 
inor  in  the  face  of  death  as  their  fellow  white  sol- 

o 

diers. 

On  the  Confederate  Side,  there  were  enlisted 
throughout  the  South,  in  various  employments,  some 


136 


A SCHOOI  ft tS TORY  OF  Tltk 


6000  colored  troops.  But  all  over  the  South,  while 
their  masters  were  away  at  war,  the  Negro  women 
and  men  were  enlisted  in  the  ranks  of  the  private 
duties  of  the  Southern  soldiers’  homes,  which,  ever 
be  it  remembered  to  the  honor  and  credit  of  the 
Negro  race  of  America,  they  protected  faithfully  and 
industriously.  The  opportunity  for  outrage  and  plun- 
der was  open  on  every  side,  but  not  a hurtful  hand 
was  laid  on  the  thousands  of  white  widows,  orphans, 
and  aged,  who  lay  defenceless  in  the  Negroes’  power. 
This  action  on  the  part  of  the  slaves  proves  that  the 
race  is  not  fond  of  bloodshed,  and  is  kind  even  to 
its  foes. 

Some  Plantations,  on  the  contrary,  were  found 
in  better  trim  on  the  return  of  the  masters  from  the 
war  than  when  they  left  them. 

Negro  Body-servants  accompanied  their  mas- 
ters into  the  war,  shared  the  roughs  of  camp-life, 
and  often  were  the  last  to  minister  to  their  wants  in 
the  hospital,  and  the  first  to  bear  the  tidings  home 
to  the  anxious  family  after  death  , taking  with  them 
sometimes  the  treasured  watch  or  ring 

Mr.  James  H.  Jones,*  of  Raleigh,  N C.,  served 
as  messenger  to  Mr.  Jefferson  Davis  during  his 


* He  emphatically  denies  the  assertion  that  has  gained  currency,  to  the 
effect  that  Mr.  Jefferson  Davis,  while  escaping  from  the  Union  forces  was  at- 
tired in  female  clothes.  Mr.  J.  states  that  the  Confederate  President  used  a 
large  cloak,  which  he  usually  wore  indoors, to  disguise  himself  with. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


137 


Presidency  of  the  Confederacy  at  Richmond.  He 
was  with  him  when  caught  by  the  Union  troops  in 
southwest  Georgia,  and  was  also  confined  with  him 
in  the  “ Rip-Raps,”  at  Hampton  Roads,  Virginia* 
After  the  war,  Mr.  Jones  kept  up  a correspondence 
with  Mr.  Davis,  until  his  death,  and  received  a new 
photograph  whenever  Mr.  Davis  had  a neyv  one 
taken.  Mr.  Jones  is  now  an  honored  citizen  of  Ra» 
leigh,  and  a member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen. 


138 


A SCXVOL  HISTORY  OF  THC, 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

RECONSTRUCTION,  1865-08. 

After  the  Surrender  of  Lee  at  Appomattox, 

the  question  arose  as  to  what  should  be  done  with 
the  Southern  States  that  for  four  years  had  rebelled 
against  the  dag  of  the  Union,  and  had  set  up  a flag 
of  their  own.  The  Southern  flag  was  now  con- 
quered;  and  the  plan  of  the  North  was  to  restore 
these  conquered  States  into  the  Union.  Amnesty 
was  offered  all  those  who  desired  it.  A Provisional 
Government  was  first  established  in  North  Carolina, 
with  W.  W.  Holden  at  its  head  ; other  States  were 
organized  in  the  same  way.  Conventions  were  called 
by  the  Provisional  Governors  of  the  several  States, 
and  new  constitutions  adopted  in  conformity  with  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

The  Right  to  Vote  was  denied  the  colored  peo- 
ple. Exclusion  from  public  places  was  established 
by  law.  Thirty-nine  lashes  was  the  punishment  for 
keeping  firearms.  When  white  persons  were  im- 
plicated, ’ colored  people  could  not  testify  in  the 
cou  rts. 

The  Thirteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitu- 


NEGRO  RACE  IE  AMERICA.  I3£ 

tion,  making  the  race  citizens,  was  virtually  made 
null  and  void  by  the  legislatures  of  the  reconstructed 
States.  So  it  became  necessary  to  pass  The  Civil 
Rights  Bill,  giving  the  colored  people  the  right  to 
enter  public  places,  and  ride  on  first-class  railroad 
cars.  This  bill  has  been  declared  unconstitutional 
by  our  Supreme  Court.  Owing  to  the  attempts  of  the 
Ku-Klux  Klan  to  prevent  colored  people  from  votmg, 
the  fifteenth  amendment  was  passed  guaranteeing 
to  them  the*  right  to  vote  and  to  have  their  votes 
oounted.  Thus,  the  eleven  Southern  States  were 
reconstructed  on  a basis  of  universal  suffrage,  and 
the  colored  race  began  to  develop  statesmen,  orators, 
lawyers,  judges,  teachers  of  various  kinds,  ministers, 
and  discreet,  far-seeing  business  men. 

THE  FREEDMEN’s  BUREAU. 

The  design  of  this  institution  was  to  educate  the 
newly  emancipated  colored  people  into  all  the  ways 
of  freedom.  Schools  were  opened,  to  which  there 
was  a general  rush,  so  great  was  the  thirst  for 
knowledge.  Many  gray  heads  could  be  seen  among 
the  children,  and  the  “ Blue  Back  Speller  ” was  often 
to  be  seen  even  in  the  Sabbath-schools.  Such  a 
stampede,  such  an  ardent  desire  for  knowledge,  was 
possibly  never  witnessed  anywhere  before.  Many 
Very  old  people  learned  to  read  the  Bible,  and  the 


140 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


joy  they  seemed  to  get  from  this  long  coveted  privi- 
lege was  poured  out  in  often  thankful  and  fervent 
prayer. 

Gen.  O.  O.  Howard  was  a leading  spirit  in  the 
establishment  of  the  Freedmen’s  Bureau.  His  de- 
sign was  to  make  the  colored  people  better  citizens 
in  every  respect.  With  him  was  associated  a saintly 
corps  of  devoted,  missionary-inclined  white  men  and 
Women,  who  planted  school-houses  and  churches  in 
many  a hamlet  of  this  once  slave-cursed  but  now 
free  land. 

Many  of  These  People  came  from  the  best 
families  of  the  North,  were  well  educated,  refined 
and  cultured.  Their  pupils  were  not  slow  in  catch- 
ing the  beautiful  graces  of  these  instructors,  and 
their  extra  qualities  are  demonstrated  in  the  won- 
derful educational  progress  the  race  has  made  within 
only  twenty-six  years  of  actual  freedom. 

The  Plan  was  to  locate  schools  at  central  points 
where  teachers  and  preachers  might  be  trained  to 
go  out  into  the  rural  districts  in  which  the  majority 
of  the  race  still  lived.  The  money  was  contributed 
by  benevolent  people  of  the  North,  and  a wiser  in- 
vestment, both  for  God  and  humanity,  was  never 
made. 

Through  the  Influence  of  the  Freedmen’s  Bu- 
reau the  Southern  States  got  their  present  free- 
School  system,  which  they  did  not  have  before  the 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


141 


war.  Some  schools  established  during  this  time 
were:  Shaw  University,  Raleigh,  N.  C. ; Howard 
University,  Washington,  D.  C. ; Fisk  University, 
Nashville,  Tenn. ; Atlanta  University,  Atlanta,  Ga. ; 
Hampton  Normal  School,  Hampton,  Va. ; St.  Au- 
gustine Normal  School,  Raleigh,  and  many  others 
whose  influence  for  good  is  incalculable. 


142 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

PROGRESS  SINCE  FREEDOM. 

Through  a Century  and  a Half  we  have  now 
traced  our  ancestors’  history.  We  have  seen  how 
they  performed  the  hard  tasks  assigned  them  by 
their  masters:  following  the  hoe  and  the  plow  with 
a laugh  and  a song;  making  magnificent  estates, 
building  mansions,  furnishing  them  with  the  splen- 
dor of  the  times  ; so  eager  in  patriotism  as  to  be 
the  first  to  shed  their  blood  on  the  altar  of  their 
country’s  liberty.  All  this  they  did  with  no  other 
hope  of  reward  titan  a slave’s  cabin  and  a life  of 
bondage  for  themselves  and  children.  Scarcely 
have  they  ever  sought  revenge  in  riot  or  bloodshed. 
Stolen  from  a home  of  savage  freedom  they  found 
themselves  in  strait  circumstances  as  slaves  in  Amer- 
ica, but  the  greatness  of  the  Negro’s  nature  crops 
out  plainly  in  the  wonderful  way  in  which  he  adapted 
himself  to  his  new  conditions.  The  fact  that  he 
went  to  work  willingly,  worked  so  long  and  faith- 
fully, and  rebelled  so  little,  marks  him  as  far  supe- 
rior to  the  Indian,  who  never  accepts  the  conditions 
of  labor,  either  for  himself  or  another ; and  univer- 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


143 


sally  enjoys  the  rank  of  a savage  rather  than  that 
of  a civilized  being.  A plant  placed  in  the  window 
of  a dark  chamber  gradually  bends  its  foliage  towards 
the  sunlight ; so  the  Negro,  surrounded  by  the  dark- 
ness of  slavery,  bent  his  life  toward  the  light  of  his 
master’s  God.  He  found  Him.  In  Him  he  trusted, 
to  Him  he  prayed,  from  Him  he  hoped  for  deliver- 
ance ; no  people  were  ever  more  devout  according 
to  their  knowledge  of  the  word,  no  people  ever  suf- 
fered persecution  more  bravely,  no  people  ever  got 
more  out  of  the  few  talents  assigned  them ; and  for 
this  humble  devotion,  this  implicit  trust  and  faith- 
fulness, God  has  now  rewarded  them.  'The  race 
comes  out  of  slavery  with  more  than  it  had  before  it 
went  in.  But  there  was  no  need  of  any  slavery  at  all. 
%ame_stownt  New  England ’ and  the  other  colonies 
might  have  held  the  Negro  long  enough  to  serve 
out  his  passage  from  Africa,  and  then  given  him  his 
freedom,  as  they  did  their  white  slaves  imported 
from  England.  The  mistake  was  made  then ; the 
mistake  became  a law  which  the  people  were  edu- 
cated to  believe  was  just.  Many  did  not  believe  it, 
and  some  slaveholders  sought  to  make  the  condition 
of  their  slaves  comfortable.  The  affection  arising 
between  the  slave  and  his  master  often  governed 
the  treatment.  The  Negro  being  largely  endowed 
by  nature  with  affection,  affability,  and  a forgiving 
spirit,  generally  won  for  himself  good  treatment. 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Then*  too,  the  master  had  some  soul,  and  where 
that  ingredient  of  his  make-up  was  deficient,  a sel- 
fish interest  in  the  slave  as  his  property  somewhat 
modified  the  venom  that  might  have  more  often 
visited  itself  upon  the  unfortunate  slave  in  lashes  and 
stripes. 

Many  Affections  and  Friendships  formed  be- 
tween master  and  slave  exist  to  the  present  day. 
Some  slaves  are  still  at  the  old  homestead,  condi- 
tions entirely  reversed,  voting  differently  at  the 
polls,  but  friends  at  home  ; and  in  death  the  family 
of  one  follows  that  of  the  other  to  the  grave. 

When  the  War  Ended,  the  whole  South  was 
in  an  unsettled  condition — property  destroyed,  thou- 
sands of  her  sons  dead  on  the  battle-field,  no  credit, 
conquered.  But  if  the  condition  of  the  whites  was 
bad,  that  of  the  blacks  was  worse.  They  were  with- 
out homes,  money,  or  learning.  They  were  now  to 
feed,  clothe,  and  protect  themselves  in  a goverment 
whose  treasury  they  had  enriched  with  two  centuries 
and  a half  of  unrequited  labor,  and  a country  whose 
laws  they  must  obey  but  could  not  read. 

It  was  Natural  that  they  should  make  mistakes. 
But  they  made  less  mistakes  than  the  bummers  who 
came  South  for  plunder  during  reconstruction  times, 
and  with  the  false  promise  of  “ forty  acres  and  a 
mule,”  led  the  unlettered  race  into  a season  of 
.idleness  and  vain  hopes.  But  this  condition  did  not 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


145 


fast  The  Negro  inherited  the  ability  to  work  from 
the  institution  of  slavery.  He  soon  set  about  to 
utilize  this  ability.  1 ask  what  race  could  have  done 
more  ? And  this  the  Negro  has  done,  though  vir- 
tually ostracized  from  the  avenues  of  trade  and  spec- 
ulation. His  admission  to  a trades-union  is  the  ex- 
ception rather  than  the  rule  in  America.  A colored 
boy  taking  a place  as  porter  in  a store  at  the  same 
time  with  a white  boy,  may  find  the  white  boy  soon 
promoted  to  a clerkship,  then  to  a partnership  in  the 
firm,  if  he  is  smart;  but  the  colored  boy  remains, 
year  after  year,  where  he  first  commenced,  no  matter 
how  worthy,  no  matter  how  competent.  His  lot  is 
that  of  a menial;  custom  assigns  him  there,  and  in 
looking  for  clerks  and  partners  he  is  not  thought 
of  by  the  white  business  man  ; and  thus,  by  the  rigid 
laws  of  custom,  he  has  continually  lost  golden  op- 
portunities to  forge  his  fortune  ; yet  he  has  pros- 
pered in  spite  of  this,  and  it  bespeaks  for  him  a su- 
perior manhood. 


10 


146 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

RELIGIOUS  PROGRESS. 

Before  the  war,  the  colored  people  of  the  South 
worshipped  mainly  in  the  white  churches,  or  in  sep- 
arate churches  usually  ministered  to  by  white  pastors. 
But  the  colored  people,  naturally  inclined  to  religion, 
soon  developed  preachers  of  their  own.  They  com- 
posed their  own  music,  which  expressed,  in  their  own 
way,  thanks  and  petitions  to  heaven.  Their  music 
is  original,  entertaining,  and  pathetic — and  the  only 
original  music  of  the  American  Continent,  when 
we  remember  that  other  than  Negro  techniques 
and  melodies  are  all  borrowed  from  the  masters 
of  Europe. 

Debarred  of  the  Privileges  of  schools,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  the  religion  of  the  slaves  should  be 
otherwise  than  somewhat  twisted  from  the  cultured 
tone  of  the  Bible  to  suit  the  whims  of  an  unlettered 
race.  It  can  be  truly  said  though,  that,  considering 
the  circumstances,  they  did  not  bury  the  talents 
given  them.  But  the  religious  progress  since  free- 
dom is  so  marvellous  as  to  completely  overshadow 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


147 


much  of  the  darkness  of  the  past.  Let  us  notice 
briefly  several  of  the  great  religious  denominations 
of  the  race.  The  colored  people  produce  less  infi- 
dels than  any  other  similar  number  of  people  in 
America.  They  are  proverbially  religious  and  God- 
fearing. 


Bishop  W.  J.  Gaines. 


Bishop  W.  J.  Gaines  is  a representative  of 
what  twenty-five  years  of  freedom  has  done  in  many 
instances  for  the  colored  race.  He  was  born  a 
slave  in  Georgia  on  the  plantation  of  the  famous 
Robert  Toombs,  member  of  the  Confederate  Cabi- 


148 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


net..  He  had  reached  his  majority  before  the  war 
ended,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  his  chances  for  early 
culture  were  very  meagre.  But,  nevertheless,  he 
learned  to  read  at  odd  moments,  and  after  freedom 
applied  himself  to  his  books  with  undaunted  and 
determined  zeal.  He  often  speaks  of  how  “I  made 
up  my  mind  when  I entered  the  ministry  to  reach 
the  highest  position  in  my  church  through  merit.” 
He  has  won  his  coveted  prize  in  this  respect;  and 
each  step  of  his  life,  from  the  plow-handle  to  the 
Bishopric,  has  been  markedly  illustrious.  He  is  a 
living  argument  of  the  innate  genius  of  the  race, 
that  might,  like  the  poet’s  rose,  have  been  “ born  to 
blush  unseen,”  but  for  the  fact  that  he  embraced  the 
possibilities  that  freedom  opened  up  before  him. 
He  is  of  commanding  presence,  dignified,  and  a 
natural  leader  of  men.  It  is  an  inspiration  to  be  in 
his  presence,  and  his  appearance  on  the  rostrum  is 
natural  and  complete. 

He  has  possibly  built  more  church  edifices  than 
any  other  member  of  his  denomination.  Morris 
Brown  College,  of  Atlanta,  worth  something  over 
seventy  thousand  dollars,  is  the  work  of  his  hands, 
and  that  of  itself  would  sufficiently  speak  for  his 
ability,  without  referring  to  thousands  of  dollars 
raised  for  other  purposes.  Bishop  Gaines  can  be 
counted  on  to  foster  and  encourage  any  enterprise 
tending  to  the  benefit  of  the  Negro  race,  and,  he 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


149 


never  fails  to  encourage  the  young  people  who  are 
anxious  to  rise. 

The  A.  M.  E.  Church,  founded  by  Rev.  Richard 
Allen,  of  Philadelphia,  Penn.,  because  of  the  spirit 
of  caste  and  race  prejudice  of  the  Protestant  Church 
during  and  after  the  American  Revolution,  has  ex- 
erted a broad  and  unmeasured  influence  upon  the 
Negro  race.  From  a meeting  held  in  1816,  at  Rev. 
Allen’s  private  house,  has  sprung  surprising  results. 
It  has  3394  churches,  valued  at  $5,028,126;  660 
parsonages,  valued  at  $312,763.75,  and  the  total 
valuation  of  church  property  is  $5,341 .889.25.  It 
has  a publication  department,  which  sends  out  the 
Christian  Recorder  and  A.  M.  E.  Review  to  thou- 
sands of  people.  The  salaries  of  the  editors  of  these 
papers  amount  to  $10,800.  In  1887,  the  money 
raised  for  all  purposes  was  $1,064,569.50,  with  an 
indebtedness  of  $509,113.24.  Wilberforce  Univer- 
sity is  a noted  institution  controlled  by  the  A.  M.  E. 
Church.  The  influence  of  this  church  for  good 
among  the  people  cannot  be  measured.  The  bish- 
ops are  an  extraordinary  set  of  learned  men,  many 
of  whom  are  self-made,  but  yet  are  authors,  orators, 
linguists,  theologians  and  scholars  that  will  compare 
favorably  with  the  best  theological  brain  of  America. 

Rev.  E.  M.  Brawley,  of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  is 
noced  especially  for  his  sober,  earnest  and  pious 
Christian  life.  He  is  a scholarly  gentleman,  and 


150 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Rev.  E.  M.  Brawley. 


thoroughly  devoted  to  the  interests  of  his  people. 
It  has  beeh  his  fortifne  to  be  President  of  Selma 
University,  Ala. ; Sunday-school  agent  in  South 
Carolina,  and  editor  of  the  Baptist  Tribune.  Such 
a hard-working,  zealous  and  thoroughly  honest  man 
should  be  a pride  to  any  race. 

The  Baptist  Church  was  founded  by  Roger 
Williams.  The  church  officers  derive  their  power 
from  the  members.  In  the  beginning,  Roger  Wil- 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


151 


liams’  influence  had  a tendency  to  keep  down  race 
prejudice.  But  from  the  rapid  increase  of  slaves, 
the  feeling  grew  until  self-interest  demanded  a sep- 
aration. They  form  a body  of  useful  and  intelligent 
people.  Kentucky  has  a host  of  Baptists,  who  own 
much  valuable  property.  There  are  more  Baptists 
in  Virginia  than  in  any  other  Southern  State.  Some 
of  the  churches  have  very  large  congregations. 
There  are  a large  number  of  Baptist  churches  in 
the  District  of  Columbia,  some  of  which  have  in- 
teresting histories.  Among  the  noble,  true  and 
faithful  workers  of  the  Baptists  are  Duke,  Williams, 
Anderson,  and  Leonard,  Andrew  Grimes  and  Dr. 
W-  J.  Simmons  (deceased),  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  who 
have  consecrated  their  lives  to  their  church  in  the 
spreading  of  the  Gospel. 

The  Baptist  Church  exercises  a religious  and 
educationaHrifluence  over  more  colored  people  than 
any  other  denomination  in  America.  I gather  from 
the  minutes  of  their  National  Convention  of  1887, 
that  they  have  a total  membership  in  the  United 
States  of  1,155,486;  and  that  they  have  6605  or- 
dained ministers,  3304  Sabbath-schools  with  10,718 
teachers  and  officers  and  194,492  pupils.  They  owrj 
$3,056,571  worth  of  church  property.  They  operate 
twenty-five  colleges  and  seminaries,  worth  $1,072- 
140,  and  in  which  are  annually  taught  more  than 
3609  pupils. 


152 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


The  A.  M.  E.  Z ion  Church  is  another  of  the 
powerful  religious  denominations  among  the  col- 
ored people,  and  is  everywhere  urging  the  race  to 
a higher  standard  of  living  in  all  respects.  Their 
membership  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  500,000. 
They  support  and  control,  entirely,  Livingston  Col- 
lege, of  Salisbury,  N.  C.,  a progressive  and  well- 
manned  institution,  and  the  Star  of  Zion , the  church 
organ,  ably  edited  by  Mr.  John  C.  Dancy.  The  Liv- 
ingston College  Faculty  is  all  colored,  and  it  has 
property  valued  at  over  $100,000. 

The  Northern  Methodist  Church  supports 
many  churches  in  the  South  ministered  over  by 
colored  pastors.  There  are  several  schools  sup- 
ported by  them,  prominent  among  which  is  Bennet 
College  of  Greensboro,  N.  C.,  and  controlled  en- 
tirely by  a colored  Faculty.  Other  schools  of  this 
denomination,  manned  by  white  Faculties,  are,  with 
Bennet  College,  doing  a most  necessary  and  bene- 
ficial work  among  the  colored  people.  So  might  be 
mentioned  schools  and  churches  supported  by 
Northern  Presbyterians,  Northern  Congregational- 
ists,  Episcopalians,  and  other  denominations,  all  of 
which  are  to  be  reckoned  as  great  uplifting  agencies 
among  the  colored  people.  Some  of  the  Northern 
societies  spend  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars 
every  year  on  Negro  education  and  religion  in  the 
South.  The  daily  expenditure  of  the  American 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


153 


Livingston  College. 


154 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Missionary  Association  for  schools  and  churches  in 
the  South  is  estimated  at  $1200. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  has  not  spread  as 
rapidly  among  the  Negroes  as  some  other  forms 
of  belief,  and  yet  within  the  past  twenty-five  years 
that  church  has  taken  a strong  hold  among  them, 
chiefly  in  Virginia,  the  Carolinas,  Georgia,  Florida, 
and  Tennessee.  Within  the  territory  embraced  in 
these  States,  there  are  2 Synods,  10  Presbyteries, 
200  ministers,  250  churches,  18,000  communicants, 
and  1 5,000  Sabbath-school  scholars.  Except  twelve 
or  fifteen  ministers,  and  a few  score  members, 
these  synods  are  composed  of  Negroes,  who  con- 
trol the  affairs  of  the  churches  and  schools.  They 
are  in  ecclesiastical  fellowship  with  the  Northern 
Presbyterian  Church.  Their  organ  is  the  Africo- 
American  Presbyterian , published  at  Charlotte,  N. 
C.,  bv  the  Africo-Amencan  Presbyterian  Publishing 
Company,  with  Rev.  D.  J.  Sanders,  D.D.,*  as 
editor.  This  journal  has  a wide  circulation. 

Educational  Work  of  the  Presbyterians.—' 
Under  the  auspices  of  the  Presbyterians  are  Lincoln 
University,  Oxford,  Pennsylvania,  which  is  their 
leading  institution  for  educating  colored  men,  and 
from  which  more  Negro  graduates  have  gone  out, 
into- all  the  professions  and  as  ministers  and  teach- 
ers, into  the  different  denominations,  than  from  any 

similar  school  in  the  country;  Biddle  University, 

1 II"!  1 i 

S ' [J  ! Di  S I 


* Dead. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA 


155 


Charlotte,  N.  C.,  ranking  among  the  first  in  the 
South,  now  presided  over  by  Rev.  D.  J.  Sanders,* 
D.D.,  has  an  able  Faculty  of  white  and  colored 
men;  and  the  far-famed  Scotia  Seminary,  at  Con- 
cord, N.  C.,  under  the  presidency  of  Rev.  D.  J. 
Satterfield, f D.D.,  with  an  able  corps  of  teachers. 
Scotia  Seminary  has  done,  and  is  doing,  much 
for  the  education  of  colored  girls,  and  ranks 
second  to  none  of  the  seminaries  of  its  kind. 
The  attendance  last  year  was  240,  and  accom- 
modations are  being  provided  for  150  more. 


* Dead, 
t Retired, 


156 


A SCHOOL  HTSTOR  V Of  TUK 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

EDUCATIONAL  PROGRESS. 

Can  the  Negro  learn  anything?  was  the  first 
question  he  had  to  answer  after  schools  were  estab- 
lished for  him.  He  has  answered  this  question  sat- 
isfactorily to  the  most  incredulous  in  every  instance 
where  brought  to  a test.  The  fact  that  every  slave 
State  had  laws  against  his  being  taught  before  the 
war,  and  that  they  opposed  it  afterwards,  ought  to 
be  a sufficient  answer.  But  if  this  is  not  sufficient, 
let  speak  the  deeds  of  Professor  Scarborough,  of 
Macon,  Ga.,  author  of  a series  of  Greek  text-books 
which  have  been  adopted  at  Yale ; George  W.  Wil- 
liams, author  of  “ History  of  the  American  Negro 
Jos.  T.  Wilson,  author  of  “Black  Phalanx;”  C.  G. 
Morgan,  class  orator  at  Harvard,  1890,  and  a host 
of  others. 

WHAT  THE  SOUTH  IS  DOING  FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATION. 

It  would  be  a serious  error  to  omit,  in  speaking 
of  the  educational  progress  of  the  Negro  since  free- 
dom, what  has  been  done  to  help  him  by  the  South- 
ern States.  Though  at  first  bitterly  opposed  to 
Negro  education,  there  has  been  a wonderful  change 
of  sentiment  on  this  subject.  They  made  laws 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA 


15? 


against  Negro  education  before  the  war,  now 
they  make  laws  for  it.  In  the  more  liberal  por- 
tions of  many  Southern  States,  good  schools  are 
provided  for  the  colored  children.  Some  States 
have  asylums  for  the  deaf,  dumb,  blind  and  in- 
sane. The  Institute  for  these  unfortunates  at 
Raleigh,  N.  C.,  is  entirely  supported  by  the  State. 
Texas  has  a similar  school.  The  South  spends 
annually  about  $6,000,000  on  Negro  schools,  and 
this  sum  will  soon  be  increased.  Some  of  the 
States  have  Normal  Schools,  Universities  and 
Training  Schools  for  the  colored  youth.  There 
are  some  who  oppose  Negro  education  on  the 
ground  that  the  whites  pay  two-thirds  of  the 
taxes.  A false  position  this — the  laborer  and 
consumer  pay  the  taxes  on  capital.  The  Negro  is 
the  laborer  of  the  South,  and  a large  consumer. 
He  produces  more  than  a billion  dollars’  worth  of 
farm  products  annually,  not  estimating  other 
products;  and  it  is  his  toil,  his  muscle  that  makes 
the  school-fund;  and  out  of  the  inexhaustible 
store-house  of  his  own  labor  does  he  draw  his 
quota  of  the  appropriation  for  the  schools.  Add 
also  what  he  pays  into  the  fund  by  taxes. 

The  High  Schools,  Seminaries,  Colleges 
and  Professional  Schools  for  the  colored 
people  number  nearly  two  hundred.  Many 
of  them  are  controlled  entirely  by  colored 
Faculties,  as  Livingston  and  Bennett  Col- 
leges, N.  C. ; Morris  Brown  College,  Ga. ; 


158 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OP  THE 


Tuskegee  Normal  School,  Ala.;  Wilberforce  Uni- 
versity, Ohio;  Virginia  Normal  and  Collegiate 
Institute;  Kittrell’s  Normal  and  Industrial  Insti- 
tute, and  Shaw  University,  except  its  President, 
who  is  white,  but  one  of  the  first  Presidents  to 
recognize  the  ability  of  young  colored  men  to 
teach  the  higher  branches.  Dr.  H.  M.  Tapper* 
inaugurated  a movement  by  putting  young  colored 
men  at  work  in  Shaw  University,  which  has  been 
followed  by  many  of  the  other  schools  supported  by 
donations  from  white  friends  in  the  North.  The 
plan  works  admirably  well,  and,  besides  teaching 
the  race  to  confide  in  the  ability  of  its  own  educated 
men  and  women,  it  affords  lucrative  employment  to 
many  who  are  by  nature  and  choice  fitted  for  the 
work  of  teaching. 

A Self-made  Man  is  a worthy  description  when 
applied  to  a Saxon.  But  a knowledge  of  the  facts 
will  teach  us  that  nine-tenths  of  all  the  leading  Ne- 
groes were  and  are  self-made.  The  royal  road  to 
knowledge  is  beyond  question  closed  to  the  young 
colored  man. 

There  is  No  Large  Estate  to  draw  on  for 
school  bills ; no  rich  uncle  or  kinsman  to  foot  the 
bill  and  wait  till  success  in  after  years  for  a settle- 
ment. His  own  brawny  muscle  is  usually  the  young 
colored  student’s  means  of  support.  Many  of  them 
work  in  school  between  hours.  In  fact,  most  of  the 


* Now  dead. 


MEG  no  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


159 


fanaw  University, 


160 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


schools  for  colored  people  in  the  South  assign  cer- 
tain hours  each  day  in  which  the  students  are  to 
labor.  Some  institutions  do  not  spend  one  cent  for 
domestic  labor  during  the  whole  of  the  school  terms. 
Yet  they,  in  some  instances,  raise  quite  enough  farm 
and  garden  products  for  their  tables,  and  sometimes 
make  brick  enough  to  put  up  extra  buildings.  The 
time  usually  used  by  the  white . student  in  foot-ball 
and  other  games  is  utilized  by  the  colored  student 
in  faithful  toil.  The  fact  that  in  none  of  the  colored 
schools  the  expense  for  tuition,  board,  lodging,  laun- 
dry-work and  incidentals  is  over  $12  per  month 
(and  in  some  cases  it  is  as  low  as  $6),  is  a strong 
argument  in  favor  of  the  help  the  Negro  youth  fur- 
nishes towards  his  own  education.  People  with 
such  a love  for  knowledge  that  they  are  willing  to 
thus  toil  for  it,  may  be  relied  upon  to  use  that 
knowledge  properly. 

When  the  War  Closed  there  were  about  four 
million  colored  people  in  the  United  States.  Scarcely 
a million  of  them  could  read.  Now  they  number 
about  eight  millions,  and  nearly  half  of  them  can 
read.  There  are  1,158,008  colored  children  in  the 
schools,  annually  taught  by  20,000  Negro  teachers. 
The  colored  people  of  the  South  have  made  more 
progress  in  education  since  the  war  than  in  anything 
else ; and  they  are  still  thirsty  for  knowledge.  The 
schools  everywhere  are  crowded.  The  love  of 
knowledge  seems  to  be  instinctive,  and  thousands  of 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


161 


faithful  mothers  spend  many  weary  nights  at  the 
ironing-board  and  wash-tub  in  order  to  get  money 
to  help  their  children  obtain  an  education.  With 
the  start  they  now  have,  twenty-five  years  more  of 
earnest  work  will  show  marvellous  changes  in  the 
educational  condition  of  the  race  No  people  ever 
learned  more  in  so  short  a time. 

MUSICAL  PROGRESS. 

The  Fisk  Jubilee  Singers  have  sung  the  fame 
of  the  Negro  in  all  America,  much  of  Europe  and 
Australia.  The  slave  music  is  the  only  original 
music  of  America.  The  Indian  has  none,  and  white 
Americans  have  borrowed  from  the  masters  of 
Europe.  Negro  melodies  are  now  a part  of  the 
classical  music  of  this  country.  The  peculiarity  of 
Negro  song  is  its  pathos  and  trueness  to  nature.  It 
stirs  the  soul  and  revives  a sunken  hope.  Travel- 
lers describe  the  music  of  the  native  African  as  sung 
in  a major  key,  which  key  characterizes  the  songs 
of  a conquering  people.  Slavery  has  not  extracted 
this  characteristic  totally  from  the  American  Negro’s 
songs.  While  he  sings  not  the  conquering  major 
of  battle,  he  thrills  you  with  the  pleasing  minor  of 
hope.  Dr.  Talmage  says:  “Everybody  knows  the 
naturai  gift  of  the  African  for  singing.  No  singing 
on  this  continent  like  that  of  the  colored  churches 
in  the  South.  Everybody  going  to  Richmond  of 
Charleston  wants  to  hear  the  Africans  sing.” 

11 


162 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

FINANCIAL  PROGRESS. 

The  Freedmen’s  Savings  Bank,  though  it 
failed,  furnishes  a strong  argument  in  favor  of  the 
thrift  and  industry  of  the  recently  emancipated 
slaves.  In  this  bank  the  colored  people  deposited 
during  the  years  between  1866  and  1871,  about 
$57,000,000.  The  original  design  of  this  institution 
was  doubtless  good,  but  it  fell  into  bad  hands,  and 
the  consequence  was  a most  disgraceful  failure. 

The  Negro’s  Confidence  in  banks  was,  on  his 
first  trial  of  them,  badly  shaken.  He  has  not  re- 
covered yet.  Many  colored  people  who  would  de- 
posit their  money  now,  are  reluctant  to  do  so  when 
they  remember  the  “ Freedmen’s  Bank  failure.” 
The  branch  offices  of  the  bank  in  the  different  States 
were  placed  in  the  hands  of  colored  men  who  worked 
for  salaries  under  instructions  from  the  home  office. 
To  this  day  sentiment  attaches  blame  on  these  col- 
ored bank  officers,  who  themselves  were  as  much 
deluded  as  the  depositors.  It  was  a sad  and  dis- 
graceful piece  of  legalized  robbery.  But  the  Negro 
is  putting  his  money  in  other  enterprises , and  though 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


163 


unsuccessful  in  his  first,  his  last  efforts  at  economy 
are  bearing  rich  fruit.  The  property  owned  by  the 
colored  people  now  is  computed  at  the  following 
figures : 

Twenty-five  Years’  Accumulations  : Ala- 
bama, $9,200,125  ; Arkansas,  $8,010,315  ; Florida, 
$7,900400;  Georgia, $10, 41 5,330;  Kentucky,  #5,900- 
010;  Louisiana,  $18,100,528  ; Mississippi,  $13,400,- 
213  ; Missouri,  $6,600,343  ; North  Carolina,  $1 1,010,- 
652  ; South  Carolina,  $ 1 2,500,000-;  Texas,  $18,010.- 
545  ; Tennessee,  $10,400,211  ; Virginia,  $4,900,000. 

The  Colored  Churches  in  the  United  States 
own  $16,310,441  ; the  total  amount  of  property 
owned  by  the  colored  people  in  all  the  States  is  rated 
at  over  $263,000,000.* 

Much  Property  is  owned  by  the  colored  people 
of  the  North  and  West.  Some  of  their  estates  run 
high  into  the  hundred  thousands.  Many  of  them, 
though  shut  out  almost  entirely  from  the  trades 
and  business  avenues,  have  accumulated  handsome 
homes,  and  live  in  elegance  and  refinement. 

Rev.  A.  G.  Davis,  of  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  in  an  ad- 
dress at  the  North  Carolina  Colored  Agricultural 
Fair,  said,  in  reference  to  the  Negro’s  progress,  this, 
among  other  things : “ Scan,  if  you  will,  the  long 
line  of  eight  million  Negroes  as  they  march  slowly 
but  surely  up  the  road  of  progress,  and  you  will  find 
in  her  ranks  such  men  as  Granville  T.  Woods,  of 


* It  is  now  estimated  that  the  figures  in  this  paragraph  may  be  doubled. 


164 


SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Ohio,  the  electrician,  mechanical  engineer,  manufao 
t-nrer  of  telephones,  telegraph  and  electrical  instru- 
ments ; _ William  Still,  of  Philadelphia,  the  coal- 
dealer;  Henry  Tanner,  the  artist;  John  W.  Terry, 
foreman  of  the  iron  and  fitting  department  of  the 
Chicago  West  Division  Street  Car  Company;  J.  D. 
Baltimore,  engineer,  machinist,  and  inventor,  of 
Washington,  D.  C. ; Wiley  Jones,  of  Pine  Bluff, 
Ark.,  the  owner  of  a street  car  railroad,  race-track, 
and  park;  Richard  M.  Hancock,  foreman  of  the 
pattern  shops  of  the  Eagle  Works  and  Manufac- 
turing Co.,  and  draughtsman;  John  Black,  the  in- 
ventor, whose  inventions  are  worth  tens  of  thou- 
sands; W.  C.  Atwood,  the  lumber  merchant  and 
capitalist.” 

All  the  States  have  numbers  of  colored  individ- 
uals whose  wealth  is  rated  between  five  and  ten 
thousand  dollars. 

In  closing  this  chapter  on  the  progress  of  the 
race  since  the  war,  we  desire  to  say  to  you,  our 
young  readers,  that  much  has  been  done,  as  you 
have  read  in  this  chapter,  to  raise  the  race  in  the 
estimation  of  the  world,  but  much  more  remains 
to  be  done.  What  has  been  said  in  this  chapter  is 
not  to  make  you  content  and  satisfied,  but  rather, 
to  inspire  new  zeal  and  fresh  courage,  that  each 
one  of  you  may  add  something  more  to  what  has 
already  been  accomplished.  You  can,  you  must, 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA 


165 


and  we  believe  you  will.  Do  not  falter  on  ac- 
count of  difficulties.  Set  your  standard  high  and 
go  to  it,  remembering  that  labor,  coupled  with  a 
strong  devotion  to  integrity,  will  surely  conquer. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


167 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

SOME  NOTED  NEGROES. 

Hon.  Hiram  R.  Revels,  a native  of  North  Car- 
olina, graduate  of  Knox  College,  111.,  A.  M.  E.  min- 
ister, President  of  Alcorn  University,  Mississippi, 
elected  to  the  State  Senate,  Mississippi,  was  the 
first  Negro  to  hold  the  position  of  U.  S.  Senator, 
elected  to  fill  the  place  of  Jefferson  Davis  in  1869, 
to  the  wonder  and  surprise  of  all  America. 

Hon.  J.  Mercer  Langston,  A.B.,  A.M.,  LL.D.; 
great  Indian-Anglo-Saxon  Negro.  Grew  to  man- 
hood, educated  and  pursued  a business  and  official 
life  in  Ohio  up  to  time  of  manhood.  He  made  un- 
successful attempts,  on  account  of  his  color,  in  New 
York  and  Ohio,  to  attend  the  law  schools.  After 
attempting  private  lessons,  he  grew  discouraged 
and  graduated  from  the  Theological  Department  of 
Oberlin  College,  Ohio.  He  then  studied  law  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  After  this  he  was  made 
Dean  and  Professor  of  Law  at  Howard  University, 
where  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.D.  President 
Hayes  appointed  him  U.  S.  Minister  and  Consul- 
General  to  Hayti,  which  position  he  honorably  held 


168 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


eight  years.  He  was  also  President  of  the  Virginia 
Normal  Collegiate  Institute. 

Hon.  Robert  Small,  the  pilot  and  captain  of  the 
steamer  Planet,  also  the  Congressman,  must  not  be 


Robert  Small. 


overlooked  on  these  pages.  Moving  from  Beaufort, 
South  Carolina,  to  Charleston  in  ’51,  he  was  em- 
ployed as  “ rigger,”  thereby  getting  a knowledge  of 
ships  and  the  life  of  sailors.  His  greatest  work  was 
with  the  Planter,  a Confederate  transport  steamer 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


169 


in  '6 1 , afterwards  used  as  a dispatch  boat.  The 
officers  retired  from  the  boat  on  the  night  of  May 
1 3,  1862,  and  left  eight  colored  men  on  watch.  Small 
being  one  of  the  number.  He  was  only  called  a 
wheelman  then,  but  in  reality  was  a pilot.  He  with 
the  others  on  board  conceived  the  risky  plan  of 
giving  the  boat  over  to  the  Federals.  Everything 
being  ready,  and  after  taking  on  Small’s  wife  and 
three  children,  they  started  out  at  2 o’clock.  In  pass- 
ing out  of  the  harbor  and  by  each  fort  the  steamer 
gave  her  signals  as  though  the  Confederate  captain 
was  on  board,  and  everything  was  all  right.  The 
dangerous  plan,  which  if  it  had  been  found  out  would 
have  ended  in  instant  death,  was  a success.  The 
boat  was  given  over  to  the  Federal  Captain  Nichols, 
who  found  her  quite  an  additional  help  to  the 
Union, 

ROBERT  P.  ELLIOTT. 

On  the  pages  of  history  no  name  shines  forth 
with  more  lustre  than  that  of  Hon.  Robert  B.  Elliott. 
He  was  one  of  earth’s  sons,  plucked  too  soon  to 
reap  the  harvest  which  was  in  store  for  him.  This 
eloquent  orator  and  distinguished  lawyer  was  a 
graduate  from  an  English  college.  After  finishing 
there  he  studied  law  under  Fitz-Herbert,  of  the 
London  bar.  He  then  came  to  the  United  States, 
and  began  his  brilliant  and  successful  career.  It 


170 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


was  in  the  Forty-second  Congress,  while  a repre- 
sentative of  South  Carolina,  that  he  impressed  him- 
self indelibly  upon  the  minds  of  his  country  as  a 
man  of  giant  intellect  and  rare  oratorical  ability. 
Alexander  Stephens  of  Georgia,  Beck  of  Kentucky, 
Harris  of  Virginia,  had  severely  assailed  the  con- 
stitutionality of  the  Civil  Rights  Bill,  after  which 
Mr.  Elliott  arose  and  addressed  the  House  as  fol- 
lows, an  effort  that  bespeaks  the  ability  of  the  man: 
“ Mr.  Speaker,  while  I am  sincerely  grateful  for  the 
high  mark  of  courtesy  that  has  been  accorded  me 
by  this  House,  it  is  a matter  of  regret  to  me  that  it 
necessary  at  this  day  that  I should  rise  in  the 
presence  of  an  American  Congress  to  advocate  a 
bill  which  simply  asserts  rights  and  equal  privileges 
for  all  classes  of  American  citizens.  I regret,  sir, 
that  the  dark  hue  of  my  skin  may  lend  a color  to  the 
imputation  that  I am  controlled  by  motives  personal 
to  myself  in  my  advocacy  of  this  great  measure  of 
natural  justice.  Sir,  the  motive  that  impels  me  is 
restricted  by  no  such  narrow  boundary,  but  is  as 
broad  as  your  Constitution.  I advocate  it,  sir,  be- 
cause it  is  right.  The  bill,  however,  not  only  appeals 
to  your  justice,  but  it  demands  a response  to  your 
gratitude.  In  the  events  that  led  to  the  achieve- 

o 

ment  of  American  independence  the  Negro  was  not 
an  inactive  or  unconcerned  spectator.  He  bore  his 
part  bravely  upon  many  battle-fields,  although  un- 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


171 


cheered  by  that  certain  hope  of  political  elevation 
which  victory  would  secure  to  the  white  man.  The 
tall  granite  shaft  which  a grateful  State  has  reared 
above  its  sons  who  fell  in  defending  Fort  Griswold 
against  the  attack  of  Benedict  Arnold,  bears  the 
name  of  John  Freeman  and  others  of  the  African 
race,  who  there  cemented  with  their  blood  the  corner- 
stone of  your  Republic.  In  the  State  which  I have 
had  the  honor  in  part  to  represent,  the  rifle  of  the 
black  man  rang  out  against  the  troops  of  the  British 
crown  in  the  darkest  days  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion  I meet  him  (Stephens)  only  as  an  ad- 

versary, nor  shall  age  or  any  other  consideration 
restrain  me  from  saying  that  he  now  offers  this 
Government,  which  he  has  done  his  utmost  to  de- 
stroy, a very  poor  return  for  its  magnanimous  treat- 
ment, to  come  here  to  seek  to  continue,  by  the  as- 
sertion of  doctrines  obnoxious  to  the  true  principles 
of  our  Government,  the  burdens  and  oppressions, 
which  rest  upon  five  millions  of  his  countrymen  who 
never  failed  to  lift  their  earnest  prayers  for  the  suc- 
cess of  this  Government,  when  the  gentleman  was 
asking  to  break  up  the  Union  of  the  States,  and  to 
blot  the  American  Republic  from  the  galaxy  of  na- 
tions.” ....  He  related  to  Mr.  Beck  the  story  of 
the  fleeing  of  the  Kentucky  soldiers  at  a most  urgent 
time  during  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain, 
and  then  proceeded  to  say : “ In  quoting  this  indis-< 


172 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


putable  piece  of  history,  I do  so  only  by  way  of  ad- 
monition, and  not  to  question  the  well-attested  gal- 
lantry of  the  true  Kentuckian,  and  to  suggest  to  the 
gentleman  that  he  should  not  flaunt  his  heraldry  so 
proudly  while  he  bears  this  bar-sinister  on  the  mili- 
tary escutcheon  of  his  State — a State  which  answered 
the  call  of  the  Republic  in  1861,  when  treason  thun- 
dered at  the  very  gates  of  the  capital,  by  coldly  de- 
claring her  neutrality  in  the  impending  struggle. 
The  Negro,  true  to  that  patriotism  that  has  ever 
characterized  and  marked  his  history,  came  to  the 
aid  of. the  Government  in  its  efforts  to  maintain  the 
Constitution.  To  that  Government  he  now  appeals  ; 
that  Constitution  he  now  invokes  for  protection 
against  unjust  prejudices  founded  upon  caste.” 

William  Wells  Brown,  Esq.,  was  born  of 
slave  parents;  he  escaped  to  the  North  and  so  im- 
proved his  time  from  then  on,  until  he  is  now  known 
to  the  world  as  M.D. ; historian  of  the  Negro  race, 

o 1 

lecturer  and  author. 

Rev.  D.  A.  Payne,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  is  the  oldest 
bishop  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church,  also  its  true,  tried 
friend  He  is  a great  educator,  and  has  the  Negro’s 
best  interests  at  heart;  many  generous  and  noble 
deeds  has  he  done  for  his  race ; he  is  the  scholar 
and  reverenced  father  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church. 

Rev.  William  T.  Dixon,  the  pastor  of  Concord 
Baptist  Church,  greatly  deserves  notice.  Rev.  Dixon 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


173 


174 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


has  been  a great  power  in  his  church,  and  has  been 
the  means  of  exerting  an  excellent  intellectual  and 
moral  influence  upon  his  people  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
His  efforts  for  the  conversion  of  the  souls  of  his 
fellow-men  are  untiring,  patient,  and  full  of  sacrifice. 
Many  faces  brighten  and  hearts  ring  with  joy  when 
his  name  is  called. 

Bishop  H.  M.  Turner,  D.D.,  is  well  known 
throughout  the  United  States ; he  stands  as  a model 
for  the  poor  boy  to-day  with  scanty  means.  His  early 
efforts  for  an  education  were  accompanied  with  many 
disappointments  and  failures.  Though  free,  he  had 
to  submit  to  the  law,  “no  Negro  must  be  educated.” 
However,  he  got  a start  and  added  to  his  small 
stock  until  he  could  read  the  Bible  and  hymn-book. 
It  is  said  that  he  learned  fifty  psalms  in  a night,  and 
while  plowing  repeated  them  to  his  co-laborers.  He 
was  hired  out  most  of  the  time  by  his  father ; his 
work  was  always  with  hard  and  often  cruel  over- 
seers ; but  he  said,  and  kept  his  word,  when  a boy,5* 
no  white  man  should  whip  and  scar  his  back.  When 
about  fifteen  years  of  age  he  was  • employed  as 
waiting-boy  in  a law  office,  where  he  attracted  special 
notice  by  his  tenacious  memory  and  accuracy  in  de- 
livering messages;  the  lawyers  took  an  interest  in 
him  and  taught  him  whatever  he  wanted  to  learn. 
From  this  he  moved  on,  from  one  level  to  the  next 
higher — being  a hard  student  all  the  way  up  to  the. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


175 


present.  He  now  is  known  as  bishop,  philosopher, 
politician,  author,  devoted  race-man,  and  ex-United 
States  Chaplain. 

Hon.  P.  B.  S.  Pinchback  has  the  honor  of  hav- 
ing held  more  positions  than  any  other  colored  man. 
He  was  a true  and  faithful  soldier  during  the  civil 
war.  At  the  time  of  the  impeachment  of  Governor 
Warmouth,  of  Louisiana,  he  became  acting  Governor 
of  that  State,  finally  becoming  the  real  Governor 
until  the  term  expired. 

Prof.  Richard  Theodore  Greener  stands  with 
the  first  scholars  of  the  Negro  race.  His  essays  and 
orations  rank  high  in  the  fields  of  literature  and 
oratory.  He  has  held  the  position  of  Chief  Civil 
Service  Examiner  of  New  York  City,  lawyer,  prize 
essayist,  orator,  and  Dean  o the  Law  Department 
of  Howard  University. 

Senator  B.  K.  Bruce,  another  son  of  the  Ne- 
gro race,  though  not  receiving  his  privilege  as  a man 
until  1865,  and  notwithstanding  then  having  attained 
to  the  age  of  24,  smothered  no  longer  the  intellec- 
tual fires  then  burning  in  his  soul.  Though  a Vir- 
ginian, he  entered  into  public  life  in  Mississippi. 
Much  useful  knowledge  he  gathered  while  sergeant- 
at-arms  of  the  State  Senate  of  Mississippi,  which 
helped  him  to  admirably  fill  his  place  as  U.  S.  Sen- 
ator. It  was,  also,  his  honor  to  hold  the  position 
of  Register  of  the  U.  S,  Treasury. 


176 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Prof.  W.  S.  Scarborough  is  the  author  of 
a set  of  Greek  text-books;  he  is  also  versed 
in  many  of  the  modern  and  ancient  lan- 
guages, including  Gothic,  Zend,  Old  Slavonic, 
Lithuanian  and  Sanscrit.  In  every  respect  he  is 
a representative  man,  having  come  up  from  pov- 
erty and  obscurity  to  his  present  high  position 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


177 


in  life.  He  was  born  in  Macon,  Ga.  When  the  war 
closed  he,  like  many  other  colored  boys,  entered 
the  “Yankee  school  ” there,  from  which  he  subse- 
quently attended  Atlanta  University  ; from  there  he 
went  to  Oberlin,  Ohio,  where  he  graduated  in  1875. 
He  taught  school  in  the  vacation  months  to  support 
himself  while  in  school.  Well  may  we  say  he  is  a 
self-made  . man,  if  unflagging  industry,  self-reliance, 
and  an  indomitable  determination  to  succeed  may 
be  counted  as  ingredients  in  the  make-up  of  such 
characters.  He  is  now  the  President  of  Wil- 
berforce  University,  which  position  he  holds  in  pref- 
erence to  many  others  his  scholarly  abilities  fit  him 
for,  and  which  he  might  attain.  He  is  recognized 
as  a thorough  scholar  by  the  world  of  learned  men, 
and  stands  out  as  an  unchallenged  vindication  of  the 
race’s  ability. 

Prof.  B.  T.  Washington  is  what  we  so  often 
hear  of,  a self-made  man.  Being  left  quite  young 
an  orphan,  to  forge  his  own  way  through  the  world, 
he  started  out  determined  to  get  an  education.  With 
the  assistance  of  friends  he  reached  Hampton  In- 
stitute with  fifty  cents  in  his  pocket.  He  finished 
the  course  by  working  out  his  expenses  as  janitor. 
After  graduating  at  Hampton,  he  taught  a while  at 
MTalden,  Va.,  then  his  home,  and  then  took  a course 
of  study  at  Wayland  Seminary.  He  taught  two 
years  at  Hampton  Institute,  and  then  accepted  the 

12 


178 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


position  of  Principal  of  the  Tusk egee  Normal  School, 
which  he  has  held  with  a remarkable  degree  of  suc- 
cess and  honor  to  himself  and  his  race.  The  school 
is  now  in  a flourishing  condition,  and  doing  much 
good  throughout  the  State  of  Alabama,  and  even 
in  other  States. 

Prof.  E.  E.  Smith,  a native  North  Carolinian, 
and  a young  man  of  the  post-bellum  school,  has 
quickly  risen  to  fame  by  an  appointment  under 
President  Cleveland  as  Minister' of  the  U.  S.  Gov- 
erment  to  the  Republic  of  Liberia.  Mr.  Smith  served 
in  this  position  for  four  years  with  honor  and  credit  to 
himself  and  his  country.  Prior  to  his  appointment  as 
Minister  to  Liberia,  he  was  the  worthy  Principal  of 
the  Fayetteville,  N.  C.,  Normal  School.  He  is  a grad- 
uate of  the  famous  Shaw  University,  and  destined 
to  reflect  still  sweater  honors  on  this  his  Alma  Mater. 

Rev.  J.  C.  Price,  D.D.,  the  well-known  temper- 
ance orator,  lives  in  the  hearts  of  many  people. 
His  clear  and  distinct  voice,  fascinating  manner 
and  excellent  ability  to  handle  a story,  gave  him  a 
hearty  welcome  in  every  place  to  which  he  went. 
He  was  the  first  colored  preacher  to  stand  in  the 
pulpit  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  and  then  with  the 
sympathy  and  love  of  a parent  for  his  pupils,  he 
with  honor  held  the  position  of  President  of  Liv- 
ingston College,  North  Carolina.  He  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


m 


EDMONIA  LEWIS. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  by  the  diligent  use  of 
the  powers  God  gave  her,  has  done  much  to  de- 
monstrate to  the  world  what  genius  exists  in  the  race 
she  represents.  Left  an  orphan  in  early  life,  she 
was  not  educated  according  to  her  desire,  but  was 


J.  C Price. 


180 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


conscious  of  a power  and  a burning  zeal  to  make 
herself  felt  in  the  world. 

Her  first  visit  to  Boston  proved  the  turning  point 
in  her  life.  When  she  for  the  first  time  saw  the 
statue  of  Franklin  her  soul  was  touched.  While 
the  dull  stone  seemed  cold  to  others,  there  was  a 
chord  in  her  young  soul  which  the  cold  lineaments 
played  upon,  and  she  exclaimed  exultingly,  “ I can 
make  a stone  man.”  Wm.  Lloyd  Garrison,  always 
ready  to  help  the  race,  introduced  her  to  a leading 
Boston  sculptor.  He  gave  her  some  clay  and  a 
model  of  a hilman  foot,  saying,  “ Go  home  and  make 
that;  if  there  is  anything  in  you  it  will  come  out.” 
Her  first  effort  was  brought  back  to  the  teacher, 
who  examined  it,  then  broke  it  to  pieces,  telling  her 
to  try  again.  She  did  so,  and  succeeded.  Her 
achievements  since  have  placed  her  among  the 
prominent  artists  of  the  world.  She  now  resides  at 
Rome,  where  her  studio  is  the  famed  resort  of  art- 
lovers  the  world  over.  Some  of  her  works  are, 
busts  of  Charles  Sumner,  Lincoln,  Hiawatha’s  Woo- 
ing, Forever  Free,  Hagar  in  the  Wilderness,  Ma- 
donna with  Infant  Christ,  and  two  Adoring  Angels. 
She  was  patronized  by  the  leading  Englishmen,  such 
as  D’Israeli,  and  others. 

T.  T.  Fortune,  Esq.,  the  well-known  and  fear- 
less editor/ was  also  a slave,  born  of  slave  parents, 
in  Florida.  He  is  a deep  thinker,  and  an  enthusiastic 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


181 


and  true  worker  for  his  race.  A great  agitator  and 
denouncer  of  the  wrong  and  encourager  of  the  right ; 
also  an  author  and  pamphleteer. 

Rev.  W.  J.  Simmons,  A.M.,  D.D.,  was,  be- 
yond question,  one  of  the  strongest  characters  of 
the  race.  He  was  the  President  of  the  Normal  and 
Theological  Institute  at  Louisville,  Ky.  At  one  time 
he  was  editor  of  the  American  Baptist , and  did  a 
telling  work  in  that  position  by  his  strong  editorials 
and  telling  points  in  behalf  of  the  interests  of  the 
race.  But  Rev.  Simmons  is  better  known  as  an 
educator.  He  took  charge  of  the  Institute  at  Louis- 
ville  when  nothing  but  failure  seemed  to  stare  it  in 
the  face ; and  from  an  appearance  of  hopeless  ruin 
he  has  worked  it  up  to  a point  of  great  excellency. 
It  now  stands  as  one  of  the  most  important  factors 
of  Negro  education  in  the  South,  and  its  success  is 
due  to  the  indomitable  energy,  force,  and  brain  of 
Dr.  Simmons.  He  has  also  furnished  the  literature 
of  the  race  with  a valuable  work  known  as  “ Men 
of  Mark.”  In  it  you  will  be  pleased  to  read  elegant 
sketches  f many  of  the  race’s  best  men. 

The  Hon.  H.  P.  Cheatham  is  a son  of  Shaw 
University,  and  a young  man  whose  success  is 
due  to  emancipation.  He  was  for  eight  years 
a member  of  Congress,  having  won  his  seat 
through  a desperate  contest  for  the  Second  Dis- 
trict of  North  Carolina.  His  record  in  Congress 


182 


A SCHOOL  HTSTORY  OF  THE 


is  good ; not  so  much  known,  however,  for  his  “ much 
speaking,”  as  for  the  -devotion  he  shows  to  the  in- 
terests of  his  race.  Mr.  Cheatham  came  up  from 
the  ranks  of  the  school  teachers,  leaving  off  that 
work  to  take  a position  as  Register  of  Deeds  in  his 
(Vance)  county,  which  position  he  held  creditably 
for  a number  of  years,  and  which  he  resigned  to 
run  for  Congress  in  1888. 


John  R.  Lynch. 

Hon.  John  R.  Lynch  is  another  son  of  whom  we 
may  be  proud.  He  hid  not  his  talents,  but  rather 
multiplied  them.  It  was  his  honor  to  preside  at  the 
National  Republican  Convention  in  1884,  at  Chicago. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA 


183 


We  know  him  as  orator,  lawyer,  Congressman, 
prominent  politician  and  paymaster  in  the  U.  S. 
Army. 

Among  the  Noted  Singers  should  be  mentioned 
Madame  Selika,  “the  colored  Jenny  Lind.”  Her 
voice  is,  perhaps,  sweeter  than  the  renowned 
Jenny  Lind  (white),  and  capable  of  greater  varia- 
tion in  length  and  pitch.  Madame  Selika  stands 
as  a prodigy  among  singers.  She  would  stand 
near  the  head  of  modern  female  voices  were  it  not 
that  she  is  colored. 

Mrs.  Frances  Ellen  Harper,  a native  of  Balti- 
more, Maryland,  was  denied  the  opportunities  of 
an  education  in  her  early  days,  but  as  soon  as  the 
way  was  opened  she  applied  herself  with  such  en- 
ergy and  earnestness  as  to  develop  her  rare  intel- 
lectual abilities,  and  put  her  before  the  world  as  a 
grand,  good  woman.  She  is  known  as  an  enter- 
taining lecturer  and  pleasing  essayist. 

Miss  Flora  Batson  Bergen  was  another  repre- 
sentative of  the  art  of  song.  The  wonder  is  that 
she  rendered  the  most  difficult  classical  music 
from  memory,  being  unable  to  read  notes.  She 
was  an  undoubted  genius. 

Miss  H.  Q.  Brown  stands  high  as  an  elocution- 
ist, and  reader  of  wonderful  force  and  descriptive 
powers.  Her  work  compares  favorably  with  any 
of  the  kind  in  America,  and  her  reputation  is 
national. 


384 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Miss  Ednorah  Nahar,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  has 
achieved  wonderful  results  as  a reader  and  elocu- 
tionist. She  is  yet  young  in  the  work,  but  has  read 
in  nearly  all  of  the  leading  cities  in  America  and 
Canada,  and  received  the  highest  encomiums  from 
the  best  dramatical  critics  in  both  countries,  one  of 
whom  says  ; “ Her  art  is  no  art,  but  Nature  itself.” 


Blind  Tom. 


“Blind  Tom,”  the  Negro  Musical  Prodigy, 
is  known  as  well  in  Europe  as  America.  His  cor- 
rect name  is  Thomas  Bethune.  ' He  was  born  May 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


185 


25,  1849,  at  Columbus,  Georgia.  When  a babe  he 
seemed  totally  blind,  but  in  later  years  he  could  see 
a little.  His  memory  of  dates,  persons  and  places 
seems  almost  perfect.  Shake  his  hand  to-day  and 
speak  to  him,  tell  your  name,  and  ten  years  after  he 
will  recall  your  voice  and  name.  He  is  uniformly 
and  studiously  polite,  and  entertains  the  highest  re- 
gard for  truth  in  all  things.  At  four  years  of  age 
he  found  his  way  to  his  master’s  piano  for  the  first 
time.  He  had  attempted  to  use  his  voice  in  imitat- 
ing the  piano  and  other  sounds  before  this.  He 
imitated  all  the  sounds  he  knew  on  the  piano,  and 
when  his  supply  was  exhausted  he  began  to  com- 
pose for  himself.  He  would  play,  as  he  would  re- 
mark, “ what  the  wind  said,"  or  the  “ birds  said ,”  or 
the  ‘ trees  said."  When  five  years  old,  during  a 
thunder-storm,  he  composed  his  “ Rain  Storm," 
which  is  so  true  to  Nature  that  one  imagines  on 
hearing  it  that  he  can  hear  the  thunder  roar,  and 
“ looks  for  the  lightning  to  flash.”  One  author  says 
of  him : “I  can’t  teach  him  anything;  he  knows 
more  of  music  than  we  know  or  can  know.  We 
can  learn  all  that  great  genius  can  reduce  to  rule 
and  put  in  tangible  form  ; he  knows  more  than  that. 
I do  not  even  know  what  it  is ; but  I feel  it  is  some- 
thing beyond  my  comprehension.  All  that  can  be 
done  for  him  will  be  to  let  him  hear  fine  playing; 
he  will  work  it  all  out  for  himself  after  awhile.” 


186 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


He  plays  the  most  difficult  classical  music  of 
Mendelssohn  and  Beethoven,  and  cannot  read  a 
note.  His  marches  include  “ Delta  Kappa  Epsilon,” 
by  Peace;  “Grand  March  de  Concert,”  by  Wallace. 
He  imitates  as  perfectly  as  if  natural,  “ Battle  of 
Manassas,”  “Douglass’  Speech,”  guitar,  banjo,1 
church  organ,  Dutch  woman  and  hand-organ,  a 
harp,  Scotch  bagpipe,  and  a music-box — all  on  the 
piano.  His  equal,  if  it  ever  existed  in  the  world, 
has  not  been  known.  He  stands  out  as  a phenom- 
enon, a genius,  a prodigy  in  black.  He  still  lives, 
and  ic  constantly  improving  and  adding  to  his  large 
stock  of  musical  achievements.* 

Toussaint  L’Ouverture. — It  is  supposed  that 
LOuverture  was  born  in  i 743,  in  San  Domingo,  on 
“ All  Saints’  Day,”  from  which  he  was  named  Tous- 
saint. The  name  L’Ouverture  was  given  him  after 
he  had  won  a high  place  in  the  army  by  many  bril- 
liant conquests.  He  was  born  a slave,  and  said  to 
be  a direct  descendant  of  an  African  king.  He  was 
educated  by  his  god-father,  Pierre  Baptiste.  Later 
he  had  an  interesting  family,  and  was  as  happy  as  a 
slave  could  be.  He  believed  himself  destined  to 
lead  his  race  out  of  bondage.  Having  access  to  his 
master’s  library,  he  read  much ; and  it  is  recorded 
that  he  always  mastered  whatever  work  he  under- 
took to  study!  It  is  generally  conceded  by  his  ene- 
mi<=  Hat  he  was  honest,  honorable,  and  just.  On 


* Thomas  Bethune  is  now  reported  to  be  dead. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN'  AMERICA. 


187 


the  night  of  August  21,  1791,  the  revolution  which 
was  destined  to  free  the  blacks  of  Hayti  began.  It 
was,  really,  the  culmination  of  a series  of  political 


Toussaint  L’Ouverture. 

“ Soldier — Statesman — Martyr.” — Wendell  Phillips. 


struggles  which  had  been  waged  with  fury  between 
the  government  of  France,  the  white  planters,  ana 
the  mulattoes  who  thought  that  they  were  entitled  to 


188 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


equal  political  privileges  with  the  whites.  This  point 
was  bitterly  contested  by  the  whites  of  the  colony, 
until  the  mulattoes  succeeded  in  inciting  the  blacks 
to  murder  and  pillage.  Toussaint  took  no  part  in 
the  murderous  proceedings  of  this  night,  and  did 
not  leave  the  plantation  until  he  had  safely  provided 
for  all  the'  whites  thereon,  whom  he  afterwards  had 
conveyed  to  Baltimore.  He  was  always  opposed  to 
a general  massacre  of  the  whites,  and  throughout 
his  career,  as  a commander,  exerted  his  influence 
to  preserve  their  lives.  Upon  entering  military  life 
his  promotion  was  rapid,  as  he  possessed  all  the 
requisites  of  a great  commander  and  leader..  Hav- 
ing risen  to  a generalship,  because  of  his  many  suc- 
cesses, France  acknowledged  his  rank  and  tendered 
to  him  a commission  as  commander-in-chief  of  the 
armies  of  San  Domingo,  in  1797.  There  followed 
three  years  of  unparalleled  prosperity,  during  which 
time  L’Ouverture’s  ability  as  a statesman  and  ruler 
was  shown  to  great  advantage.  Napoleon,  how- 
ever, became  jealous  of  L’Ouverture’s  power,  and  the 
old  troubles  in  Hayti  being  renewed,  they  declared 
their  independence  in  1801.  Napoleon  sent  large 
armies  to  the  island,  but  they  all  failed  to  conquer 
the  brave  band  of  blacks  under  their  indomitable 
leader,  Toussaint.  Finally,  they  resorted  to  strata- 
gem. They  pretended  to  make  peace,  after  which 
Toussaint  was  invited  on  one  occasion  to  dine  on 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


189 


board  a French  man-of-war,  and  there  he  was  cap- 
tured, sent  to  France,  confined  in  a dark,  damp  dun- 
geon, and  allowed  to  die  of  hunger.  He  died  in 
1803,  heroically  proclaiming  that  though  the  French 
might  murder  him,  the  tree  of  liberty  would  still 
grow  in  San  Domingo;  how  unlike  Napoleon,  the 
author  of  Toussaint’s  torture,  who  ended  his  exist- 
ence in  writing  and  fretting  on  the  island  of  St. 
Helena,  in  similar  confinement,  a just  retribution,  it 
seems,  in  atonement  for  the  wrong  he  had  done 
L’Ouverture ! 

“ His  life  lay  in  thought  and  in  action  rather  than 
in  words.  Self-contained,  he  was  also  self-sufficing. 
Though  he  disdained  not  the  advice  of  others,  he 
was,  in  the  main,  his  own  council-board.  With  an 
intense  concentration  of  vitality  in  his  own  soul,  he 
threw  into  his  outer  life  a power  and  an  energy 
which  armed  one  man  with  the  power  of  thousands, 
and  made  him  great  alike  in  command  of  others 
and  in  command  of  himself.  He  was  created  for 
government  by  the. hand  of  nature.  That  strength 
of  soul  and  self  reliance  which  made  him  fit  to  rule, 
also  gave  him  subjects  for  his  sway.  Hence  it  was, 
that  he  could  not  remain  in  the  herd  of  his  fellow- 
slaves.  Rise  he  must,  and  rise  he  did ; first  to 
humble  offices,  then  to  the  command  of  a regiment, 
and  then  to  the  command  of  the  armies  of  San  Do- 
mingo.’ 

O 


190 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


■c 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE  FREE  PEOPLE  OF  COLOR  IN  NORTH 
CAROLINA. 

BY  THE  HON.  JOHN  S.  LEARY. 

In  the  Revolutionary  War  there  were  enlisted  as 
soldiers  in  the  American  army  quite  a number  of 
colored  men  who  served  faithfully  and  fought  gal- 
lantly for  the  cause  of  American  Independence. 
Among  others  who  enlisted  from  North  Carolina, 
were  Louie  Revels,  John  Lomax,  Thomas  Bell, 
Charles  Hood  and  John  Pettiford.  All  of  these  sur- 
viving the  contest  drew,  as  long  as  they  lived,  a 
pension  from  the  United  States  Government.  When 
the  Congress  of  freemen  ( freeholders ) assembled  at 
Halifax,  and  on  the  18th  day  of  December,  1776, 
ratified  a Constitution  for  North  Carolina,  the  elec- 
tive franchise  was  extended  to  every  freeman  resid- 
ing in  the  State  who  was  twenty-one  years  of  age 
and  had  paid  a public  tax.  Under  the  provisions  of 
this  Constitution  all  free  colored  persons  living  in 
North  Carolina  who  were  twenty-one  years  of  age 
and  had  paid  a public  tax,  claimed  and  exercised  the 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


191 


right  to  vote  until  the  year  1835,  a Peri°d  of  more 
than  a half  century,  when  the  Convention  which 
assembled  that  year,  acting  on  the  principle  that 
might  makes  right,  adopted  an  amended  Constitu- 
tion which  barred  them  of  that  right  Having  been 
barred  of  the  right  to  vote  by  the  provisions  of  the 
Constitution  of  1835,  in  the  year  1838  the  question 
as  to  whether  they  were  or  were  not  citizens  coming 
before  the  State  Supreme  Court,  the  following  ex- 
tract from  the  opinion  of  the  Court,  delivered  by 
Gaston,  Judge,  will  show  that  the  Court  decided 
that  they  were  citizens  : 

“ Whatever  distinctions  may  have  existed  in  the 
Roman  law  between  citizens  and  free  inhabitants, 
they  are  unknown  to  our  institutions.  Before  our 
Revolution,  all  free  persons  born  within  the  domin- 
ion of  the  King  of  Great  Britain,  whatever  their 
color  or  complexion,  were  native-born  British  sub- 
jects— those  born  out  of  his  allegiance  were  aliens. 
Slavery  did  not  exist  in  England,  but  it  did  exist  in 
the  British  Colonies.  Slaves  were  not,  in  legal  par- 
lance, persons,  but  property.  The  moment  the  in- 
capacity— or  disqualification— of  slavery  was  re- 
moved, they  became  persons,  and  were  then  either 
British  subjects  or  not  British  subjects  according  as 
they  were  or  were  not  born  within  the  allegiance  of 
the  British  King.  Upon  the  close  of  the  Revolution, 
no  other  change  took  place  in  the  law  of  North 


192 


A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Carolina  than  was  consequent  upon  the  transition 
from  a colony  dependent  on  a European  king  to  a 
free  and  sovereign  State.  Slaves  remained  slaves. 
British  subjects  in  North  Carolina  became  North 
Carolina  freemen.  Foreigners,  until  made  citizens 
of  the  State,  continued  aliens.  Slaves  manumitted 
here  became  freemen— and,  therefore,  if  born  within 
North  Carolina,  are  citizens  of  North  Carolina — 
and  all  free  persons  born  within  the  State  are  born 
citizens  of  the  State.” 

However,  under  the  provisions  of  the  amended 
Constitution,  and  the  laws  enacted  subsequent  to 
Its  ratification  by  the  Legislature,  there  existed  in 
North  Carolina,  prior  to  the  year  1865,  three  dis- 
tinct classes  of  people : The  free  white  man,  enjoy- 
ing and  exercising  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of 
an  American  citizen  ; the  free  colored  man,  deprived 
of  nearly  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  an  Amer- 
ican citizen  ; and,  the  colored  slave,  who,  in  legal 
parlance,  was  a mere  chattel.  Owing  to  this  anoma- 
lous state  of  affairs,  whatever  was  accomplished 
by  the  genius,  industry,  effort,  culture,  and  literary 
attainments  of  the  colored  American  residing  in  the 
State,  was  studiously  ignored  and  cast  aside  as  not 
worthy  to  be  recorded  as  a part  and  parcel  of  the 
history  of  the  people  of  the  State. 

To  preserve  the  memory,  as  well  as  to  perpet- 
uate the  work  and  worth  of  a very  eminent  colored 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA.  _ 123 

citizen  of  North  Carolina,  I here  present  for  the  in- 
formation of  the  youths,  and  all  other  persons  who 
do  not  know  anything  of  the  history  of  his  life,  a 
biographical  narrative  of  the  Rev.  John  Chavers. 
This  gentleman,  a regularly  ordained  minister  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  came  to  the  United  States  in 
the  year  1822.  He  settled  in  North  Carolina,  and 
after  remaining  here  for  the  period  of  time  required 
by  law,  was  naturalized  and  became  a citizen  of  the 
State  and  United  States.  In  culture  and  literary 
attainments  he  far  excelled  a majority  of  all  classes 
of  the  people  living  in  the  State  at  that  day  and 
date.  A Christian  gentleman,  possessing  all  the 
qualities  which  go  to  make  a true  and  noble  man, 
he  was  honored  for  his  eminent  ability,  and  respected 
for  his  Christian  character.  He  lived  in  the  town 
of  Fayetteville  for  a period  of  two  years,  preached 
and  taught  school.  He  removed  from  Fayetteville. 
and  afterwards  lived  respectively  in  the  counties 
of  Franklin,  Wake,  and  Chatham,  in  each  of  which 
he  preached  and  taught  school.  The  school  organ- 
ized and  taught  by  him  in  Chatham  County  was 
patronized  almost  exclusively  by  the  white  people. 
In  the  light  of  present  surroundings,  it  may  seem 
strange  and  incredulous  that  the  white  people  of 
North  Carolina  would  send  their  children  to  a col- 
ored school  teacher,  and  consent  to  have  their  lives 
and  characters  shaped  and  moulded  by  him.  £>u* 

13 


V»4  A SCHOOL  HISTORY  6*'  THE 

this  is  accounted  for  in  the  fact  that  the  recorded 
history  of  those  times  goes  to  show  that  classical 
scholars  and  thoroughly  equipped  school  teachers 
were  not  near  so  plentiful  among  the  white  people 
then  as  they  are  now,  and  they  were  not  so  very 
particular  as  to  the  color  of  the  “ Gamaliel  ” at 
whose  feet  their  children  should  sit,  provided  he 
wad  the  ability  and  learning  to  impart  the  desired 
information.  As  evidence  of  this  gentleman’s  emi- 
nence as  an  instructor,  and  the  influence  which  his 
precept  and  example  had  upon  the  lives  and  char- 
acter of  his  pupils,  I mention  the  names  of  a few 
who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  enjoy  the  benefit  of  his 
instruction  and  careful  training.  The  late  Honor- 
able Kenneth  Rayner , one  of  his  pupils,  was  well 
known  to  the  people  of  North  Carolina  as  an  emi- 
nent lawyer,  and,  before  the  civil  war,  as  a repre- 
sentative from  North  Carolina  in  the  United  States 
Congress,  and  after  said  war  was  the  able  and  effi- 
cient Solicitor-General  of  the  United  States  Treasury 
under  President  Arthur’s  administration.  Mr.  Thos. 
J.  Curtis,  a successful  business  man,  and  for  several 
years  Mayor  of  the  town  of  Fayetteville,  was  an- 
other ; and  yet  another  was  the  late  Honorable 
Abram  Rencher,  of  Chatham  County,  who  was  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  men  the  State  has  ever 
produced.  There  were  a great  many  others,  but 
it  is  not  necessary  to  mention  by  name  any  more. 


NEGRJ  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


195 


These  are  enough  to  show  that  if  justice  had  been 
done,  this  illustrious  colored  gentleman  would  have 
had  a place  in  the  recorded  history  of  the  State 
of  his  adoption  as  one  of  her  earliest,  most  suc- 
cessful educators  and  eminent  men. 


196  A SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA. 


CHAPTER  XXXV- 

CONCLUSION. 

Up  to  the  present  time  the  Negro  has  been  a 
success  in  every  avenue  of  life.  As  a soldier  and 
citizen  he  has  always  been  faithful  to  his  coun- 
try’s flag ; as  a politician,  he  has  filled  successfully 
many  honorable  positions,  from  that  of  a Town  Con- 
stable to  the  Registry  of  the  Treasury  of  the  United 
States;  he  has  been  a legislator,  a senator,  a judge, 
a lawyer,  a juror,  a shrewd  business  man,  and  won 
honor,  respect,  and  confidence  in  every  such  posi- 
tion, and  all  this  in  twenty-five  years.  Every  sort 
of  hindrance  has  been  thrown  in  his  way,  but  he 
is  overcoming  them  all,  and  daily  winning  friends 
from  the  ranks  of  those  most  opposed  to  his  prog- 
ress. Time  is  yet  to  bring  forth  better  things  for 
the  race.  Let  there  be  patience,  and  an  honest, 
persistent  endeavor  to  do  the  very  best  in  every- 
thing, and  ere  long  we  shall  “ reap  if  we  faint  not.” 
We  shall  rise,  not  by  dragging  others  down,  but  by 
encouraging  those  who  are  up  to  extend  down  to 
us  the  helping  hand,  which  we  must  quickly  grasp, 
and  by  its  help  lift  ourselves  up. 


Part  Two 


History  of  Negro  Soldiers 

IN  THE  SPANfSH-AMERICAN  WAR 


AND  OTHER  ITEMS  OF  INTEREST 


William  McKinley. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


IN  THE  SPANISH -AMERICAN  WAR 
AND  OTHER  ITEMS  OF  INTEREST 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  CAUSE  OF  THE  WAR  WITH  SPAIN. 

Many  Causes  led  up  to  the  Spanish-American 
war.  Cuba  had  been  in  a state  of  turmoil  for  a 
long  time,  and  the  continual  reports  of  outrages 
on  the  people  of  the  island  by  Spain  greatly 
aroused  the  Americans.  The  “ten  years’  war” 
had  terminated,  leaving  the  island  much  em- 
barrassed in  its  material  interests,  and  woefully 
scandalized  by  the  methods  of  procedure  adopted 
by  Spain  and  principally  carried  out  by  Generals 
Campos  and  Wevler,  the  latter  of  whom  was 
called  the  “butcher”  on  account  of  his  alleged 
cruelty  in  attempting  to  suppress  the  former 
insurrection.  There  was  no  doubt  much  to  com- 
plain of  under  his  administration,  for  which  the 
General  himself  was  not  personally  responsible. 
He  boasted  that  he  only  had  three  individuals 
put  to  death,  and  that  in  each  of  these  cases  he 
was  highly  justified  by  martial  law. 

Finally  the  Attention  of  the  United  States  was 


200 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


forcibly  attracted  to  Cuba  by  the  Virginius 
affair,  which  consisted  in  the  wanton  murder  of 
fifty  American  sailors — officers  and  crew  of  the 
Virginius,  which  was  captured  by  the  Spanish 
off  Santiago  bay,  bearing  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion to  the  insurgents — Captain  Fry,  a West 
Point  graduate,  in  command. 

Spain  would,  no  doubt,  have  received  a genuine 
American  thrashing  on  this  occasion  had  she 
not  been  a republic  at  that  time,  and  President 
Grant  and  others  thought  it  unwise  to  crush  out 
her  republican  principles,  which  then  seemed  just 
budding  into  existence. 

The  horrors  of  this  incident,  however,  were  not 
out  of  the  minds  of  the  American  people  when 
the  new  insurrection  of  1895  broke  out.  At  once, 
as  if  by  an  electric  flash,  the  sympathy  of  the 
American  people  was  enlisted  with  the  Insur- 
gents who  were  (as  the  Americans  believed) 
fighting  Spain  for  their  liberty.  Public  opinion 
was  on  the  Insurgents’  side  and  against  Spain 
from  the  beginning.  This  feeling  of  sympathy 
for  the  fighting  Cubans  knew  no  North  nor 
South;  and  strange  as  it  may  seem  the  South- 
erner who  quails  before  the  mob  spirit  that  dis- 
franchises, ostracises  and  lynches  an  American 
Negro  who  seeks  his  liberty  at  home,  became  a 
loud  champion  of  the  Insurgent  cause  in  Cuba, 
which  was,  in  fact,  the  cause  of  Cuban  Negroes 
and  Mulattoes. 

General  Fitzhugh  Lee,  of  Virginia,  possibly 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMER1CAN  WAR 


201 


General  Fitzhugh  Lee. 


202 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


the  most  noted  Southerner  of  the  day,  was  sent 
by  President  Cleveland  to  Havana  as  Consul 
General,  and  seemed  proud  of  the  honor  of  rep- 
resenting his  government  there,  judging  from 
his  reports  of  the  Insurgents,  which  were  favora- 
ble. General  Lee  was  retained  at  his  post  by 
President  McKinley  until  it  became  necessary 
to  recall  him,  thus  having  the  high  honor  paid 
him  of  not  being  changed  by  the  new  McKinley 
administration,  which  differed  from  him  in  poli- 
tics; and  as  evidence  of  General  Fitzhugh  Lee’s 
sympathy  with  the  Cubans  it  may  be  cited 
that  he  sent  word  to  the  Spanish  Commander 
(Blanco)  on  leaving  Havana  that  he  would  re- 
turn to  the  island  again  and  when  he  came  he 
“would  bring  the  stars  and  stripes  in  front  of 
him.” 

Belligerent  Rights  to  the  Insurgents  or  Neu- 
trality became  the  topic  of  discussion  during  the 
close  of  President  Cleveland’s  administration. 
The  President  took  the  ground  that  the  Insur- 
gents, though  deserving  of  proper  sympathy, 
and  such  aid  for  humanity’s  sake  as  could  be 
given  them,  yet  they  had  not  established  on  any 
part  of  the  island  such  a form  of  government 
as  could  be  recognized  at  Washington,  and 
accorded  belligerent  rights  or  rights  of  a nation 
at  war  with  another  nation;  that  the  laws  of 
neutrality  should  be  strictly  enforced,  and  Amer- 
ica should  keep  “hands  off”  and  let  Spain  and 
the  Insurgents  settle  their  own  differences. 


IN  THE  SPANISH- AMERICAN  WAR 


203 


Much  Money  and  Time  was  expended  by  the 
United  States  government  in  maintaining  this 
neutral  position.  Fillibustering  expeditions  were 
constantly  being  fitted  up  in  America  with  arms 
and  ammunition  for  the  Cuban  patriots.  As  a 
neutral  power  it  became  the  duty  of  the  Ameri- 
can government  to  suppress  fillibustering,  but  it 
was  both  an  unpleasant  and  an  expensive  duty, 
and  one  in  which  the  people  had  little  or  no 
sympathy. 

Spain  Tried  to  Appease  public  sentiment  in 
America  by  recalling  Marshal  Campos,  who  was 
considered  unequal  to  the  task  of  defeating  the 
Insurgents,  because  of  reputed  inaction.  The 
flower  of  the  Spanish  army  was  poured  into  Cuba 
by  the  tens  of  thousands — estimated,  all  told,  at 
three  hundred  thousand  when  the  crisis  between 
America  and  Spain  was  reached. 

Weyler,  “The  Butcher,”  was  put  in  command 
and  inaugurated  the  policy  of  establishing  mili- 
tary zones  inside  of  the  Spanish  lines,  into  which 
the  unarmed  farmers,  merchants,  women  and 
children  were  driven,  penniless;  and  being  with- 
out any  visible  means  of  subsistence  were  left  to 
perish  from  hunger  and  disease.  (The  condition 
of  these  people  greatly  excited  American  sym- 
pathy with  the  Insurgents.)  General  Weyler 
hoped  thus  to  weaken  the  Insurgents  who  re- 
ceived considerable  of  supplies  from  this  class 
of  the  population,  either  by  consent  or  force. 
Weyler’s  policy  in  reference  to  the  reconcentra- 


204 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


dos  (as  these  non-combatant  people  were  called) 
rather  increased  than  lessened  the  grievance,  as 
was  natural  to  suppose,  in  view  of  the  misery 
and  suffering  it  entailed  on  a class  of  people  who 
most  of  all  were  not  the  appropriate  subjects  for 
his  persecution,  and  sentiment  became  so  strong 
in  the  United  States  against  this  policy  (espe- 
cially in  view  of  the  fact  that  General  Weyler 
had  promised  to  end  the  “Insurrection”  in  three 
months  after  he  took  command)  that  in 

February,  1896,  the  United  States  Congress 
took  up  the  discussion  of  the  matter.  Several 
Senators  and  Congressmen  returned  from  visits 
to  the  island  pending  this  discussion,  in  which 
they  took  an  active  and  effective  part,  depicting 
a most  shocking  and  revolting  situation  in  Cuba, 
for  which  Spain  was  considered  responsible;  and 
on  April  6th  following  this  joint  resolution  was 
adopted  by  Congress: 

“Be  it  Resolved  by  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives  of  the  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica, that  in  the  opinion  of  Congress  a public  war 
exists  between  the  Government  of  Spain  and  the 
Government  proclaimed  and  for  some  time  main- 
tained by  force  of  arms  by  the  people  of  Cuba; 
and  that  the  United  States  of  America  should 
maintain  a strict  neutrality  between  the  contend- 
ing powers,  according  to  each  all  the  rights  of 
belligerents  in  the  ports  and  territory  of  the 
United  States. 

“Resolved  further,  that  the  friendly  offices  of 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


205 


the  United  States  should  be  offered  by  the  Presi- 
dent to  the  Spanish  government  for  the  recogni- 
tion of  the  independence  of  Cuba.” 

The  Insurgents  gained  by  this  resolution  an 
important  point.  It  dignified  their  so-called  in- 
surrection into  an  organized  army,  with  a gov- 
ernment at  its  back  which  was  so  recognized  and 
treated  with.  They  could  buy  and  sell  in  Ameri- 
can ports. 

General  Antonio  Maceo  about  this  time  was 
doing  great  havoc  along  the  Spanish  lines.  He 
darted  from  place  to  place,  back  and  forth  across 
the  supposed  impassable  line  of  Spanish  fortifi- 
cations stretching  north  and  south  across  the 
island  some  distance  from  Havana,  and  known 
as  the  trocha.  Thousands  of  Spaniards  fell  as 
the  result  of  his  daring  and  finesse  in  military 
execution.  His  deeds  became  known  in  Amer- 
ica, and  though  a man  of  Negro  descent,  with 
dark  skin  and  crisp  hair,  his  fame  was  heralded 
far  and  wide  in  the  American  newspapers.  At  a 
public  gathering  in  New  York,  where  his  picture 
was  exhibited,  the  audience  went  wild  with  ap- 
plause— the  waving  of  handkerchiefs  and  the  wild 
hurrahs  were  long  and  continued.  The  career 
of  this  hero  was  suddenly  terminated  by  death, 
due  to  the  treachery  of  his  physician,  Zertucha, 
who,  under  the  guise  of  a proposed  treaty  of 
peace,  induced  him  to  meet  a company  of  Span- 
ish officers,  at  which  meeting,  according  to  a pre- 
arranged plot,  a mob  of  Spanish  infantry  rushed 


206 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


in  on  General  Maceo  and  shot  him  down  un- 
armed. It  is  said  that  his  friends  recovered  his 
body  and  buried  it  in  a secret  place  unknown  to 
the  Spaniards,  who  were  anxious  to  obtain  it  for 
exhibition  as  a trophy  of  war  in  Havana.  Maceo 
was  equal  to  Toussaint  L’Ouverture  of  San  Do- 
mingo. His  public  life  was  consecrated  to  lib- 
erty; he  knew  no  vice  nor  mean  action;  he  would 
not  permit  any  around  him.  When  he  landed  in 
Cuba  from  Porto  Rico  he  was  told  there  were 
no  arms.  He  replied,  “I  will  get  them  with  my 
machete,”  and  he  left  five  thousand  to  the 
Cubans,  conquered  by  his  arm.  Every  time  the 
Spanish  attacked  him  they  were  beaten  and  left 
thousands  of  arms  and  much  ammunition  in  his 
possession.  He  was  born  in  Santiago  de  Cuba 
July  14,  1848. 

The  Spirit  of  the  Insurgents  did  not  break 
with  General  Maceo’ s death.  Others  rose  up  to 
fill  his  place,  the  women  even  taking  arms  in  the 
defence  of  home  and  liberty.  “At  first  no  one 
believed,  who  had  not  seen  them,  that  there  were 
women  in  the  Cuban  army;  but  there  is  no  doubt 
about  it.  They  are  not  all  miscalled  amazons, 
for  they  are  warlike  women  and  do  not  shun 
fighting.  The  difficulty  in  employing  them  be- 
ing that  they  are  insanely  brave.  When  they 
ride  into  battle  they  become  exalted  and  are  dan- 
gerous creatures.  Those  who  first  joined  the 
forces  on  the  field  were  the  wives  of  men  belong- 
ing in  the  army,  and  their  purpose  was  rather  to 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


207 


General  Antonio  Maceo. 


208 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


be  protected  than  to  become  heroines  and  aven- 
gers. It  shows  the  state  of  the  island,  that  the 
women  found  the  army  the  safest  place  for 
them.  With  the  men  saved  from  the  planta- 
tions and  the  murderous  bandits  infesting  the 
roads  and  committing  every  lamentable  outrage 
upon  the  helpless,  some  of  the  high-spirited 
Cuban  women  followed  their  husbands,  and  the 
example  has  been  followed,  and  some,  instead 
of  consenting  to  be  protected,  have  taken  up  the 
fashion  of  fighting.” — Murat  Halsted. 

Jose  Maceo,  brother  of  Antonio,  was  also  a 
troublesome  character  to  the  Spaniards,  who 
were  constantly  being  set  upon  by  him  and  his 
men. 

Weyler’s  Policy  and  the  Brave  Struggle  of  the 

people  both  appealed  very  strongly  for  Ameri- 
can sympathy  with  the  Insurgent  cause.  The 
American  people  were  indignant  at  Weyler  and 
were  inspired  by  the  conduct  of  the  Insurgents. 
Public  sentiment  grew  stronger  with  every  fresh 
report  of  an  Insurgent  victory,  or  a Weyler 
persecution. 

Miss  Evangelina  Cosio  y Cisneros’  Rescue 

helped  to  arouse  sentiment.  This  young  and 
beautiful  girl  of  aristocratic  Cuban  parentage 
alleged  that  a Spanish  officer  had,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  a “raid”  made  on  her  home,  in  which  her 
father  was  captured  and  imprisoned  as  a Cuban 
sympathizer,  proposed  her  release  on  certain 
illicit  conditions,  and  on  her  refusal  she  was 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


209 


incarcerated  with  her  aged  father  in  the  re- 
nowned bnt  filthy  and  dreaded  Morro  Castle  at 
Havana. 

Appeal  after  Appeal  by  large  numbers  of  the 
most  prominent  women  in  America  was  made 


Miss  Evangelina  Cosio  y Cisneros. 


to  General  Weyler,  and  even  to  the  Queen  Re- 
gent of  Spain,  for  her  release,  but  without  avail, 
when  finally  the  news  was  flashed  to  America 
that  she  had  escaped.  This  proved  to  be  true 


210 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


— her  release  being  effected  by  Carl  Decker,  a re- 
porter on  the  “New  York  Journal” — a most  dar- 
ing feat.  Miss  Cisneros  was  brought  to  America 
and  became  the  greatest  sensation  of  the  day. 
Her  beauty,  her  affection  for  her  aged  father, 
her  innocence,  and  the  thrilling  events  of  her 
rescue,  made  her  the  public  idol,  and  gave  “Cuba 
libre”  a new  impetus  in  American  sympathy. 

Spain  and  Havana  felt  the  touch  of  these  ever 
spreading  waves  of  public  sentiment,  and  began 
to  resent  them.  At  Havana  public  demonstra- 
tions were  made  against  America.  The  life  of 
Consul  General  Lee  was  threatened.  The  Span- 
ish Minister  at  Washington,  Senor  de  Lome,  was 
exposed  for  having  written  to  a friend  a most 
insulting  letter,  describing  President  McKinley 
as  a low  politician  and  a weakling.  For  this  he 
was  recalled  by  Spain  at  the  request  of  the  Amer- 
ican government. 

Protection  to  American  citizens  and  property 
in  Havana  became  necessary,  and  accordingly 
the  Battleship  Maine  was  sent  there  for  this  pur- 
pose, the  United  States  government  disclaiming 
any  other  motives  save  those  of  protection  to 
Americans  and  their  interests.  The  Maine  was, 
to  all  outward  appearances,  friendly  received  by 
the  Spaniards  at  Havana  by  the  usual  salutes 
and  courtesies  of  the  navy,  and  was  anchored  at 
a point  in  the  bay  near  a certain  buoy  designated 
by  the  Spanish  Commander.  This  was  on  Janu- 
ary 25,  1898,  and  on  February  15th  this  noble 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


211 


vessel  was  blown  to  pieces,  and  266  of  its  crew 
perished — two  colored  men  being  in  the  number. 
This  event  added  fuel  to  the  already  burning  fire 
of  American  feeling  against  Spain.  Public  sen- 
timent urged  an  immediate  declaration  of 
war.  President  McKinley  counseled  modera- 
tion. Captain  Sigsbee,  who  survived  the  wreck 


of  the  Maine,  published  an  open  address  in  which 
he  advised  that  adverse  criticism  be  delayed  until 
an  official  investigation  could  be  made  of  the 
affair. 

The  Official  Investigation  was  had  by  a Court 
of  Inquiry,  composed  of  Captain  W.  T.  Samp- 
son of  the  Iowa,  Captain  F.  C.  Chadwick  of  the 
New  York,  Lieutenant-Commander  W.  P.  Potter 


212 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


of  the  New  York,  and  Lieutenant-Commander 
Adolph  Marix  of  the  Vermont,  appointed  by  the 
President.  Divers  were  employed ; many  wit- 
nesses were  examined,  and  the  court,  by  a unani- 
mous decision,  rendered  March  21,  1898,  after 
a four  weeks’  session,  reported  as  follows:  “That 
the  loss  of  the  Maine  was  not  in  any  respect  due 
to  the  fault  or  negligence  on  the  part  of  any  of 
the  officers  or  members  of  her  crew;  that  the 
ship  was  destroyed  by  the  explosion  of  a sub- 
marine mine  which  caused  the  partial  explosion 
of  two  or  more  of  her  forward  magazines;  and 
that  no  evidence  has  been  obtainable  fixing  the 
responsibility  for  the  destruction  of  the  Maine 
upon  any  person  or  persons.” 

Responsibility  in  this  Report  is  not  fixed  on 
any  “person  or  persons.”  It  reads  something 
like  the  usual  verdict  of  a coroner’s  jury  after 
investigating  the  death  of  some  colored  man  who 
has  been  lynched, — “he  came  to  his  death  by  the 
hands  of  parties  unknown.”  This  report  on  the 
Maine’s  destruction,  “unlike”  the  usual  coroner’s 
jury  verdict,  however,  in  one  respect,  was  not 
accepted  by  the  people,  who  claimed  that  Spain 
was  responsible,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  for 
the  explosion,  and  the  public  still  clamored  for 
war  to  avenge  the  outrage. 

Congress  also  Caught  the  war  fever  and 
appropriated  $50,000,000  “for  the  national  de- 
fence” by  a unanimous  vote  of  both  houses. 
The  war  and  navy  departments  became  very 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


213 


active;  agents  were  sent  abroad  to  buy  war  ships, 
but  the  President  still  hesitated  to  state  his  posi- 
tion until  he  had  succeeded  in  getting  the  Ameri- 
can Consuls  out  of  Cuba  who  were  in  danger 
from  the  Spaniards  there.  Consul  Hyatt  em- 
barked from  Santiago  April  3,  and  Consul  Gen- 
eral Lee,  who  was  delayed  in  getting  off  Ameri- 
can refugees,  left  on  April  10,  and  on  that  day 
the  President  sent  his  message  to  Congress. 
He  pictured  the  deplorable  condition  of  the 
people  of  Cuba,  due  to  General  Weyler’s  policy; 
he  recommended  that  the  Insurgent  government 
be  not  recognized,  as  such  recognition  might  in  ■ 
volve  this  government  in  “embarrassing  interna- 
tional complications,”  but  referred  the  whole 
subject  to  Congress  for  action. 

Congress  Declares  War  on  April  13  by  a joint 
resolution  of  the  Foreign  Affairs  Committee  of 
both  houses,  which  was  adopted,  after  a confer- 
ence of  the  two  committees,  April  18,  in  the  fol- 
lowing form: 

“Whereas,  the  abhorrent  conditions  which 
have  existed  for  more  than  three  years  in  the 
island  of  Cuba,  so  near  our  own  borders,  have 
shocked  the  moral  sense  of  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  have  been  a disgrace  to  Christian 
civilization,  culminating  as  they  have  in  the  de- 
struction of  a United  States  battle  ship,  with  266 
of  its  officers  and  crew,  while  on  a friendly  visit 
in  the  harbor  of  Havana,  and  cannot  longer  be 
endured,  as  has  been  set  forth  by  the  President 


214 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


of  the  United  States  in  his  message  to  Congress 
of  April  11,  1898,  upon  which  the  action  of  Con- 
gress was  invited : therefore, 

“Resolved,  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives of  the  United  States  of  America  in 
Congress  assembled — 

“First,  that  the  people  of  the  island  of  Cuba 
are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  independ- 
ent. 

“Second,  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  United 
States  to  demand,  and  the  government  of  the 
United  States  does  hereby  demand,  that  the  gov- 
ernment of  Spain  at  once  relinquish  its  authority 
and  government  in  the  island  of  Cuba,  and  with- 
draw its  land  and  naval  forces  from  Cuba  and 
Cuban  waters. 

“Third,  that  the  President  of  the  United  States 
be,  and  he  hereby  is,  directed  and  empowered  to 
use  the  entire  land  and  naval  forces  of  the  United 
States,  and  to  call  into  the  actual  service  of  the 
United  States  the  militia  of  the  several  States  to 
such  extent  as  may  be  necessary  to  carry  these 
resolutions  into  effect. 

“Fourth,  that  the  United  States  hereby  dis- 
claims any  disposition  or  intention  to  exercise 
sovereignty,  jurisdiction  or  control  over  said 
island,  except  for  the  pacification  thereof,  and 
asserts  its  determination  when  that  is  completed 
to  leave  the  government  and  control  of  the  island 
to  its  people.” 

The  President  Signed  this  Resolution  at  1 1 :24 


IN  THE  SPAN  I SH- AMERICAN  WAR 


215 


A.  M.  on  the  20th  of  April,  1898.  The  Spanish 
Minister,  Senor  Luis  Polo  y Bernarbe,  was 
served  with  a copy,  upon  which  he  asked  for  his 
passports,  and  “immediately  left  Washington.” 

“This  is  a picture  of  Edward  Savoy,  who  ac- 
complished one  of  the  most  signal  diplomatic 
triumphs  in  connection  with  recent  relations  with 
Spain.  It  was  he  who  outwitted  the  whole  Span- 
ish Legation  and  delivered  the  ultimatum  to  Min- 
ister Polo. 

“Edward  Savoy  has  been  a messenger  in  the 
Department  of  State  for  nearly  thirty  years.  Lie 
was  appointed  by  Hamilton  Fish  in  1869,  and 
held  in  high  esteem  by  James  G.  Blaine. 

“He  was  a short,  squat,  colored  man,  with  a 
highly  intelligent  face,  hair  slightly  tinged  with 
gray  and  an  air  of  alertness  which  makes  him 
stand  out  in  sharp  contrast  with  the  other  mes- 
sengers whom  one  meets  in  the  halls  of  the  big 
building. 

“Of  all  the  men  under  whom  ‘Eddie,’  as  he  is 
universally  called,  has  served  he  has  become  most 
attached  to  Judge  Day,  whom  he  says  is  the  finest 
man  he  ever  saw. 

“Minister  Polo  was  determined  not  to  receive 
the  ultimatum.  He  was  confident  he  would  re- 
ceive a private  tip  from  the  White  House,  which 
would  enable  him  to  demand  his  passports  before 
the  ultimatum  was  served  upon  him.  Then  he 
could  refuse  to  receive  it,  saying  that  he  was  no 
longer  Minister.  It  will  be  remembered  that 


216 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


Spain  handed  Minister  Woodford  his  passports 
before  the  American  representative  could  present 
the  ultimatum  to  the  Spanish  Government. 

“Judge  Day’s  training  as  a country  lawyer 
stood  him  in  good  stead.  He  had  learned  the 
value  of  being  the  first  to  get  in  an  attachment. 

“The  ultimatum  was  placed  in  a large,  square 
envelope,  that  might  have  contained  an  invita- 
tion to  dinner.  It  was  natural  that  it  should  be 
given  to  ‘Eddie’  Savoy.  He  had  gained  the  sobri- 
quet of  the  nation’s  ‘bouncer,’  from  the  fact  that 
he  had  handed  Lord  Sackville-West  and  Minister 
De  Lome  their  passports. 

“It  was  11:30  o’clock  on  Wednesday  morning 
when  ‘Eddie’  Savoy  pushed  the  electric  button  at 
the  front  door  of  the  Spanish  Legation,  in  Mas- 
sachusetts avenue.  The  old  Spanish  soldier  who 
acted  as  doorkeeper  responded. 

“ ‘Have  something  here  for  the  Minister,’  said 
Eddie. 

“The  porter  looked  at  him  suspiciously,  but  he 
permitted  the  messenger  to  pass  into  the  vesti- 
bule, which  is  perhaps  six  feet  square.  Beyond 
the  vestibule  is  a passage  that  leads  to  the  large 
central  hall.  The  Minister  stood  in  the  hall.  In 
one  hand  he  held  an  envelope.  It  was  addressed 
to  the  Secretary  of  State.  It  contained  a request 
for  the  passports  of  the  Minister  and  his  suite. 
Senor  Polo  had  personally  brought  the  document 
from  the  chancellory  above. 

“When  the  porter  presented  the  letter  just 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


217 


Eddie  Savoy. 


218 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


brought  by  the  Department  of  State’s  messenger, 
Senor  Polo  grasped  it  in  his  quick,  nervous  way. 
Pie  opened  the  envelope  and  realized  instantly 
that  he  had  been  outwitted.  A cynical  smile 
passed  over  the  Minister’s  face  as  he  handed  his 
request  for  passports  to  ‘Eddie,’  who  bowed  and 
smiled  on  the  Minister. 

“Senor  Polo  stepped  back  into  the  hall  and 
started  to  read  the  ultimatum  carefully.  But  he 
stopped  and  turned  his  head  toward  the  door. 

“ ‘This  is  indeed  Jeffersonian  simplicity,’  he 
said. 

“ ‘Eddie’  Savoy  felt  very  badly  over  the  inci- 
dent, because  he  had  learned  to  like  Minister  Polo 
personally. 

“ ‘He  was  so  pleasant  that  I felt  like  asking  him 
to  stay  a little  longer,’  said  ‘Eddie,’  ‘but  I didn’t, 
for  that  wouldn’t  have  been  diplomatic.  When 
you  have  been  in  this  department  twenty-five  or 
thirty  years  you  learn  never  to  say  what  you 
want  to  say  and  never  to  speak  unless  you  think 
twice.’ 

“Wherefore  it  will  be  seen  that  ‘Eddie’  Savoy 
has  mastered  the  first  principles  of  diplomacy.” — 
“N.  Y.  World.” 

A Copy  of  the  Resolution  by  Congress  was  also 
cabled  to  Minister  Woodford,  at  Madrid,  to  be 
officially  transmitted  to  the  Spanish  Government, 
fixing  the  23d  as  the  limit  for  its  reply,  but  the 
Spanish  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  had  already 
learned  of  the  action  of  Congress,  and  did  not 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


219 


Jose  Maceo. 


‘220 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


permit  Minister  Woodford  to  ask  for  his  pass- 
ports, but  sent  them  to  him  on  the  evening  of  the 
21st,  and  this  was  the  formal  beginning  of  the 
war. 

A Fatal  Step  was  this  for  Spain,  who  evidently, 
as  her  newspapers  declared,  did  not  think  the 
“American  pigs”  would  fight.  She  was  unaware 
of  the  temper  of  the  people,  who  seemed  to  those 
who  knew  the  facts  actually  thirsting  for  Span- 
ish blood — a feeling  due  more  or  less  to  thirty 
years  of  peace,  in  which  the  nation  had  become 
restless,  and  to  the  fact  also  that  America  had 
some  new  boats,  fine  specimens  of  workmanship, 
which  had  been  at  target  practice  for  a long  time 
and  now  yearned  for  the  reality,  like  the  boy  who 
has  a gun  and  wants  to  try  it  on  the  real  game. 
The  proof  of  the  superiority  of  American  gun- 
nery was  demonstrated  in  every  naval  battle. 
The  accurate  aim  of  Dewey’s  gunners  at  Manilla, 
and  Sampson  and  Schley’s  at  Santiago,  was  noth- 
ing less  than  wonderful.  No  less  wonderful, 
however,  was  the  accuracy  of  the  Americans  than 
the  inaccuracy  of  the  Spaniards,  who  seemed  al- 
most unable  to  hit  anything. 

While  Accrediting  the  American  Navy  with  its 
full  share  of  praise  for  its  wonderful  accomplish- 
ments, let  us  remember  that  there  is  scarcely  a 
boat  in  the  navy  flying  the  American  flag  but 
what  has  a number  of  “colored  sailors”  on  it, 
who,  along  with  others,  help  to  make  up  its  great- 
ness and  superiority. 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  221 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  HOSTILITIES. 

A COLORED  HERO  IN  THE  NAVY. 

History  records  the  Negro  as  the  first  man  to 
fall  in  three  wars  of  America — Crispus  Attucks 
in  the  Boston  massacre,  March  5,  1770;  an  un- 
known Negro  in  Baltimore  when  the  Federal 
troops  were  mobbed  in  that  city  en  route  to  the 
front,  and  Elijah  B.  Tunnell,  of  Accoinac  County, 
Virginia,  who  fell  simultaneously  with  or  a sec- 
ond before  Ensign  Bagley,  of  the  torpedo  boat 
Winslow,  in  the  harbor  of  Cardenas,  May  11, 
1898,  in  the  Spanish-American  war. 

Elijah  B.  Tunnell  was  employed  as  cabin  cook 
on  the  Winslow.  The  boat,  under  a severe  fire 
from  masked  batteries  of  the  Spanish  on  shore, 
was  disabled.  The  Wilmington  came  to  her 
rescue,  the  enemy  meanwhile  still  pouring  on  a 
heavy  fire.  It  was  difficult  to  get  the  “line”  fast- 
ened so  that  the  Winslow  could  be  towed  off  out 
of  range  of  the  Spanish  guns.  Realizing  the  dan- 
ger the  boat  and  crew  were  in,  and  anxious  to  be 
of  service,  Tunnell  left  his  regular  work  and  went 
on  deck  to  assist  in  “making  fast”  the  two  boats, 
and  while  thus  engaged  a shell  came,  which, 
bursting  over  the  group  of  workers,  killed  him 
and  three  others.  It  has  been  stated  in  news- 


222 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


paper  reports  of  this  incident  that  it  was  an  ill- 
aimed  shell  of  one  of  the  American  boats  that 
killed  Tunnell  and  Bagley.  Tunned  was  taken  on 
board  the  Wilmington  with  both  legs  blown  off, 
and  fearfully  mutilated.  Turning  to  those  about 
him  he  asked,  “Did  we  win  in  the  fight,  boys?” 
The  reply  was,  “Yes.”  He  said,  “Then  I die 
happy.”  While  others  fed  at  the  post  of  duty  it 
may  be  said  of  this  brave  Negro  that  he  fed  while 
doing  “more”  than  his  duty.  He  might  have  kept 
out  of  harm’s  way  if  he  had  desired,  but  seeing 
the  situation  he  rushed  forward  to  relieve  it  as 
best  he  could,  and  died  a “volunteer”  in  service, 
doing  what  others  ought  to  have  done.  A11  honor 
to  the  memory  of  Elijah  B.  Tunned,  who  fed,  if 
not  the  first,  certainly  simultaneous  with  the  first 
martyr  of  the  Spanish-American  war.  While  our 
white  fellow-citizens  justly  herald  the  fame  of 
Ensign  Bagiev,  who  was  known  to  the  author 
from  his  youth,  let  our  colored  patriots  proclaim 
the  heroism  of  Tunned  of  Accomac.  While  not 
ranking  as  an  official  in  the  navy,  yet  he  was 
brave,  he  was  faithful  and  we  may  inscribe  over 
his  grave  that  “he  died  doing  what  he  could  for 
his  country.” 

War  between  the  United  States  and  Spain  be- 
gan April  21,  1898.  Actual  hostilities  ended  Au- 
gust 12,  1898,  by  the  signing  of  the  protocol  by 
the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States  for 
the  United  States  and  M.  Cambon,  the  French 
Ambassador  at  Washington,  acting  for  Spain. 


IN  THE  SPANISH- AMERICAN  WAR 


223 


The  war  lasted  114  days.  The  Americans  were 
victorious  in  every  regular  engagement.  In  the 
three  days’  battle  around  Santiago,  the  Amer- 
icans lost  22  officers  and  208  men  killed,  and  81 
officers  and  1,203  men  wounded,  and  79  missing. 
The  Spanish  loss  as  best  estimated  was  near  1,600 
officers  and  men  killed  and  wounded. 

Santiago  was  surrendered  July  17,  1898,  with 
something  over  22,000  troops. 

General  Shafter  estimates  in  his  report  the 
American  forces  as  numbering  16,072  with  815 
officers. 


224 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


CHAPTER  III. 

SERGEANT-MAJOR  PULLEN  OF  THE 
25TH  INFANTRY  DESCRIBES  THE 
CONDUCT  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOL- 
DIERS AROUND  EL  CANEY. 

THE  TWENTY-FIFTH  U.  S.  INFANTRY— ITS  STATION  BEFORE  THE 
SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  AND  TRIP  TO  TAMPA.  FLORIDA 
—THE  PART  IT  TOOK  IN  THE  FIGHT  AT  EL  CANEY. 

When  our  magnificent  battleship  Maine  was 
sunk  in  Havana  harbor,  February  15,  1898,  the 
25th  U.  S.  Infantry  was  scattered  in  western 
Montana,  doing  garrison  duty,  with  headquar- 
ters at  Fort  Missoula.  This  regiment  had  been 
stationed  in  the  West  since  1880,  when  it  came 
up  from  Texas  where  it  had  been  from  its  con- 
solidation in  1869,  fighting  Indians,  building 
roads,  etc.,  for  the  pioneers  of  that  State  and 
New  Mexico.  In  consequence  of  the  regiment’s 
constant  frontier  service,  very  little  was  known 
of  it  outside  of  army  circles.  As  a matter  of 
course  it  was  known  that  it  was  a colored  regi- 
ment, but  its  praises  had  never  been  sung. 

Strange  to  say,  although  the  record  of  this 
regiment  was  equal  to  any  in  the  service,  it  had 
always  occupied  remote  stations,  except  a short 
period,  from  about  May,  1880,  to  about  August, 
1885,  when  headquarters,  band  and  a few  com- 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


225 


Sergeant  Frank  W.  Pullen, 

Who  was  in  the  Charge  on  El  Caney,  as  a member  of  the  Twenty-fifth  U.  S.  Infantry. 


226 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


panies  were  stationed  at  Fort  Snelling,  near  St. 
Paul,  Minnesota. 

Since  the  days  of  reconstruction,  when  a great 
part  of  the  country  (the  South  especially)  saw 
I the  regular  soldier  in  a low  state  of  discipline, 
and  when  the  possession  of  a sound  physique  was 
the  only  requirement  necessary  for  the  recruit  to 
enter  the  service  of  the  United  States,  people  in 
general  had  formed  an  opinion  that  the  regular 
soldier,  generally,  and  the  Negro  soldier  in  par- 
ticular, was  a most  undesirable  element  to  have 
in  a community.  Therefore,  the  Secretary  of 
War,  in  ordering  changes  in  stations  of  troops 
from  time  to  time  (as  is  customary  to  change 
troops  from  severe  climates  to  mild  ones  and  vice 
versa,  that  equal  justice  might  be  done  all),  had 
repeatedly  overlooked  the  25th  Infantry;  or  had 
only  ordered  it  from  Minnesota  to  the  Dakotas 
and  Montana,  in  the  same  military  department, 
and  in  a climate  more  severe  for  troops  to  serve 
in  than  any  in  the  United  States.  This  gallant 
regiment  of  colored  soldiers  served  eighteen 
years  in  that  climate,  where,  in  winter,  which 
lasts  five  months  or  more,  the  temperature  falls 
as  low  as  55  degrees  below  zero,  and  in  summer 
rises  to  over  100  degrees  in  the  shade  and  where 
mosquitos  rival  the  Jersey  breed. 

Before  Congress  had  reached  a conclusion  as 
to  what  should  be  done  in  the  Maine  disaster,  an 
order  had  been  issued  at  headquarters  of  the 
army  directing  the  removal  of  the  regiment  to 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


227 


the  department  of  the  South,  one  of  the  then  re- 
cently organized  departments. 

At  the  time  when  the  press  of  the  country  was 
urging  a declaration  of  war,  and  when  Minister 
Woodford,  at  Madrid,  was  exhausting  all  the 
arts  of  peace,  in  order  that  the  United  States 
mig'ht  get  prepared  for  war,  the  men  of  the  25th 
Infantry  were  sitting  around  red-hot  stoves,  in 
their  comfortable  quarters  in  Montana,  discuss- 
ing the  doings  of  Congress,  impatient  for  a 
move  against  Spain.  After  great  excitement  and 
what  we  looked  upon  as  a long  delay,  a tel- 
egraphic order  came.  Not  for  us  to  leave  for  the 
Department  of  the  South,  but  to  go  to  that  lonely 
sun-parched  sandy  island  Dry  Tortugas.  In  the 
face  of  the  fact  that  the  order  was  for  us  to  go  to 
that  isolated  spot,  where  rebel  prisoners  were 
carried  and  turned  loose  during  the  war  of  the 
rebellion,  being  left  there  without  guard,  there 
being  absolutely  no  means  of  escape,  and  where 
it  would  have  been  necessary  for  our  safety  to 
have  kept  Sampson’s  fleet  in  sight,  the  men  re- 
ceived the  news  with  gladness  and  cheered  as  the 
order  was  read  to  them.  The  destination  was 
changed  to  Key  West,  Florida,  then  to  Chicka- 
mauga  Park,  Georgia.  It  seemed  that  the  War 
Department  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  the 
soldiers  at  first. 

Early  Sunday  morning,  April  10,  1898,  Easter 
Sunday,  amidst  tears  of  lovers  and  others  en- 
deared by  long  acquaintance  and  kindness,  and 


228 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


the  enthusiastic  cheers  of.  friends  and  well-wish- 
ers, the  start  was  made  for  Cuba. 

It  is  a fact  worthy  of  note  that  Easter  services 
in  all  the  churches  in  Missoula,  Montana,  a town 
of  over  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  was  postponed 
the  morning  of  the  departure  of  the  25th  In- 
fantry, and  the  whole  town  turned  out  to  bid  us 
farewell.  Never  before  were  soldiers  more  en- 
couraged to  go  to  war  than  we.  Being  the  first 
regiment  to  move,  from  the  West,  the  papers  had 
informed  the  people  of  our  route.  At  every  sta- 
tion there  was  a throng  of  people  who  cheered 
as  we  passed.  Everywhere  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
could  be  seen.  Everybody  had  caught  the  war 
fever.  We  arrived  at  Chickamauga  Park  about 
April  15,  1898,  being  the  first  regiment  to  arrive 
at  that  place.  We  were  a curiosity.  Thousands 
of  people,  both  white  and  colored,  from  Chatta- 
nooga, Tenn.,  visited  us  daily.  Many  of  them 
had  never  seen  a colored  soldier.  The  behavior 
of  the  men  was  such  that  even  the  most  preju- 
diced could  find  no  fault.  We  underwent  a short 
period  of  acclimation  at  this  place,  then  moved 
on  to  Tampa,  Fla.,  where  we  spent  a month  more 
of  acclimation.  All  along  the  route  from  Mis- 
soula, Montana,  with  the  exception  of  one  or 
two  places  in  Georgia,  we  had  been  received  most 
cordially.  But  in  Georgia,  outside  of  the  Park, 
it  mattered  not  if  we  were  soldiers  of  the  United 
States,  and  going  to  fight  for  the  honor  of  our 
country  and  the  freedom  of  an  oppressed  and 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AHERICAN  WAR 


229 


starving  people,  we  were  “niggers,”  as  they 
called  us,  and  treated  us  with  contempt.  There 
was  no  enthusiasm  nor  Stars  and  Stripes  in 
Georgia.  That  is  the  kind  of  “united  country” 
we  saw  in  the  South.  I must  pass  over  the 
events  and  incidents  of  camp  life  at  Chicka- 
mauga  and  Tampa.  Up  to  this  time  our  trip  had 
seemed  more  like  a Sunday-school  excursion 
than  anything  else.  But  when,  on  Tune  6th,  we 
were  ordered  to  divest  ourselves  of  all  clothing 
and  equipage,  except  such  as  was  necessary  to 
campaigning  in  a tropical  climate,  for  the  first 
time  the  ghost  of  real  warfare  arose  before  us. 

ON  BOARD  THE  TRANSPORT. 

The  regiment  went  aboard  the  Government 
transport  No.  1-1 — Concho — June  7,  1898.  On 
the  same  vessel  were  the  14th  U.  S.  Infantry,  a 
battalion  of  the  2d  Massachusetts  Volunteers 
and  Brigade  Headquarters,  aggregating  about 
1,300  soldiers,  exclusive  of  the  officers.  This  was 
the  beginning  of  real  hardship.  The  transport 
had  either  been  a common  freighter  or  a cattle 
ship.  Whatever  had  been  its  employment  before 
being  converted  into  a transport,  I am  sure  of 
one  thing,  it  was  neither  fit  for  man  nor  beast 
when  soldiers  were  transported  in  it  to  Cuba. 
The  actual  carrying  capacity  of  the  vessel  as  a 
transport  was,  in  my  opinion,  about  900  soldiers, 
exclusive  of  the  officers,  who,  as  a rule,  surround 
themselves  with  every  possible  comfort,  even  in 


230 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


actual  warfare.  A good  many  times,  as  on  this 
occasion,  the  desire  and  demand  of  the  officers 
for  comfort  worked  serious  hardships  for  the  en- 
listed men.  The  lower  decks  had  been  filled 
with  bunks.  Alas!  the  very  thought  of  those 
things  of  torture  makes  me  shudder  even  now. 
They  were  arranged  in  rows,  lengthwise  the  ship, 
of  course,  with  aisles  only  two  feet  wide  between 
each  row.  The  dimensions  of  a man’s  bunk  was 
6 feet  long,  2 feet  wide  and  2 feet  high,  and  they 
were  arranged  in  tiers  of  four,  with  a four-inch 
board  on  either  side  to  keep  one  from  rolling  out. 
The  Government  had  furnished  no  bedding  at 
all.  Our  bedding  consisted  of  one  blanket  as 
mattress  and  haversack  for  pillow.  The  25th  In- 
fantry was  assigned  to  the  lower  deck,  where 
there  was  no  light,  except  the  small  portholes 
when  the  gangplank  was  closed.  So  dark  was  it 
that  candles  were  burned  all  day.  There  was  no 
air  except  what  came  down  the  canvas  air-shafts 
when  they  were  turned  to  the  breeze.  The  heat 
of  that  place  was  almost  unendurable.  Still  our 
Brigade  Commander  issued  orders  that  no  one 
would  be  allowed  to  sleep  on  the  main  deck. 
That  order  was  the  only  one  to  my  knowledge 
during  the  whole  campaign  that  was  not  obeyed 
by  the  colored  soldiers.  It  is  an  unreported  fact 
that  a portion  of  the  deck  upon  which  the  25th 
Infantry  took  passage  to  Cuba  was  flooded  dur- 
ing the  entire  journey. 

Before  leaving  Port  Tampa  the  Chief  Surgeon 


IN  THE  SPAN  ISH-AHE  RICAN  WAR 


231 


of  the  expedition  came  aboard  and  made  an  in- 
spection, the  result  of  which  was  the  taking  off 
of  the  ship  the  volunteer  battalion,  leaving  still 
on  board  about  a thousand  men.  Another  note- 
worthy fact  is  that  for  seven  days  the  boat  was 
tied  to  the  wharf  at  Port  Tampa,  and  we  were 
not  allowed  to  go  ashore,  unless  an  officer  would 
take  a whole  company  off  to  bathe  and  exercise. 
This  was  done,  too,  in  plain  sight  of  other  ves- 
sels, the  commander  of  which  gave  their  men  the 
privilege  of  going  ashore  at  will  for  any  purpose 
whatever.  It  is  very  easy  to  imagine  the  hard- 
ship that  was  imposed  upon  us  by  withholding 
the  privilege  of  going  ashore,  when  it  is  under- 
stood that  there  were  no  seats  on  the  vessel  for  a 
poor  soldier.  On  the  main  deck  there  were  a 
large  number  of  seats,  but  they  were  all  reserved 
for  the  officers.  A sentinel  was  posted  on  either 
side  of  the  ship  near  the  middle  hatchway,  and 
no  soldier  was  allowed  to  go  abaft  for  any  pur- 
pose, except  to  report  to  his  superior  officer  or  on 
some  other  official  duty. 

Finally  the  14th  of  June  came.  While  bells 
were  ringing,  whistles  blowing  and  bands  play- 
ing cheering  strains  of  music,  the  transports 
formed  “in  fleet  in  column  of  twos,”  and  under 
convoy  of  some  of  the  best  war  crafts  of  our  navy, 
and  while  the  thousands  on  shore  waved  us  god- 
speed, moved  slowly  down  the  bay  on  its  mission 
to  avenge  the  death  of  the  heroes  of  our  gallant 
Maine  and  to  free  suffering  Cuba. 


232 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


The  transports  were  scarcely  out  of  sight  of 
land  when  an  order  was  issued  by  our  Brigade 
Commander  directing  that  the  two  regiments  on 
board  should  not  intermingle,  and  actually  draw- 
ing the  “color  line”  by  assigning  the  white  regi- 
ment to  the  port  and  the  25th  Infantry  to  the 
starboard  side  of  the  vessel.  The  men  of  the  two 
regiments  were  on  the  best  of  terms,  both  having 
served  together  during  mining  troubles  in  Mon- 
tana. Still  greater  was  the  surprise  of  everyone 
when  another  order  was  issued  from  the  same 
source,  directing  that  the  white  regiment  should 
make  coffee  first,  all  the  time,  and  detailing  a 
guard  to  see  that  the  order  was  carried  out.  All 
of  these  things  were  done  seemingly  to  humiliate 
us  and  without  a word  of  protest  from  our  offi- 
cers. We  suffered  without  complaint.  God  only 
knows  how  it  was  we  lived  through  those  four- 
teen days  on  that  miserable  vessel.  We  lived 
through  those  days  and  were  fortunate  enough 
not  to  have  a burial  at  sea. 

OPERATIONS  AGAINST  SANTIAGO. 

We  landed  in  Cuba  June  22,  1898.  Our  past 
hardships  were  soon  forgotten.  It  was  enough 
to  stir  the  heart  of  any  lover  of  liberty  to  witness 
that  portion  of  Gomez’s  ragged  army,  under 
command  of  General  Castillo,  lined  up  to  wel- 
come us  to  their  beautiful  island,  and  to  guide 
and  guard  our  way  to  the  Spanish  strongholds. 
To  call  it  a ragged  army  is  by  no  means  a misno- 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


233 


mer.  The  greater  portion  of  those  poor  fellows 
were  both  coatless  and  shoeless,  many  of  them 
being  almost  nude.  They  were  by  no  means 
careful  about  their  uniform.  The  thing  every 
one  seemed  careful  about  was  his  munitions  of 
war,  for  each  man  had  his  gun,  ammunition  and 
machete.  Be  it  remembered  that  this  portion  of 
the  Cuban  army  was  almost  entirely  composed 
of  black  Cubans. 

After  landing  we  halted  long  enough  to  ascer- 
tain that  all  the  men  of  the  regiment  were  “pres- 
ent or  accounted  for,”  then  marched  into  the 
jungle  of  Cuba,  following  an  old  unused  trail. 
General  Shafter’s  orders  were  to  push  forward 
without  delay.  And  the  25th  Infantry  has  the 
honor  of  leading  the  march  from  the  landing  at 
Baiquiri  or  Daiquiri  (both  names  being  used  in 
official  reports)  the  first  day  the  army  of  invasion 
entered  the  island.  I do  not  believe  any  news- 
paper has  ever  published  this  fact. 

There  was  no  time  to  be  lost,  and  the  advance 
of  the  American  army  of  invasion  in  the  direction 
of  Santiago,  the  objective  point,  was  rapid. 
Each  day,  as  one  regiment  would  halt  for  a rest 
or  reach  a suitable  camping  ground,  another 
would  pass.  In  this  manner  several  regiments 
had  succeeded  in  passing  the  25th  Infantry  by 
the  morning  of  June  24th.  At  that  time  the  1st 
Volunteer  Cavalry  (Rough  Riders)  was  leading 
the  march. 


234 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE. 

On  the  morning  of  June  24th  the  Rough  Riders 
struck  camp  early,  and  was  marching  along  the 
trail  at  a rapid  gait,  at  “route  step,”  in  any  order 
suitable  to  the  size  of  the  road.  Having  marched 
several  miles  through  a well-wooded  country, 
they  came  to  an  opening  near  where  the  road 
forked.  They  turned  into  the  left  fork;  at  that 
moment,  without  the  least  warning,  the  Cubans 
leading  the  march  having  passed  on  unmolested, 
a volley  from  the  Spanish  behind  a stone  fort  on 
top  of  the  hill  on  both  sides  of  the  road  was  fired 
into  their  ranks.  They  were  at  first  disconcerted, 
but  rallied  at  once  and  began  firing  in  the  direc- 
tion from  whence  came  the  volleys.  They  could 
not  advance,  and  dared  not  retreat,  having  been 
caught  in  a sunken  place  in  the  road,  with  a 
barbed-wire  fence  on  one  side  and  a precipitous 
hill  on  the  other.  They  held  their  ground,  but 
could  do  no  more.  The  Spanish  poured  volley 
after  volley  into  their  ranks.  At  the  moment 
when  it  looked  as  if  the  whole  regiment  would  be 
swept  down  by  the  steel-jacketed  bullets  from 
the  Mausers,  four  troops  of  the  10th  U.  S.  Caval- 
ry (colored)  came  up  on  “double  time.”  Little 
thought  the  Spaniards  that  these  “smoked 
Yankees”  were  so  formidable.  Perhaps  they 
thought  to  stop  those  black  boys  by  their  relent- 
less fire,  but  those  boys  knew  no  stop.  They 
halted  for  a second,  and  having  with  them  a 
Hotchkiss  gun,  soon  knocked  down  the  Spanish 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


235 


iH 

5§! 

Corporal  Brown, 

Who  was  killed  at  a Hotchkiss  gun  while  shelling  the  Spanish  blockhouse  to  save  the  Rough  Riders. 


236 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


improvised  fort,  cut  the  barb-wire,  making  an 
opening  for  the  Rough  Riders,  started  the 
charge,  and,  with  the  Rough  Riders,  routed  the 
Spaniards,  causing  them  to  retreat  in  disorder, 
leaving  their  dead  and  some  wounded  behind. 
The  Spaniards  made  a stubborn  resistance.  So 
hot  was  their  fire  directed  at  the  men  at  the 
Hotchkiss  gun  that  a head  could  not  be  raised, 
and  men  crawled  on  their  stomachs  like  snakes 
loading  and  firing.  It  is  an  admitted  fact  that 
the  Rough  Riders  could  not  have  dislodged  the 
Spanish  by  themselves  without  great  loss,  if  at 
all. 

The  names  of  Captain  A.  M.  Capron,  Jr.,  and 
Sergeant  Hamilton  Fish,  Jr.,  of  the  Rough 
Riders,  who  were  killed  in  this  battle,  have  been 
immortalized,  while  that  of  Corporal  Brown, 
10th  Cavalry,  who  manned  the  Hotchkiss  gun  in 
this  fight,  without  which  the  American  loss  in 
killed  and  wounded  would  no  doubt  have  been 
counted  by  hundreds,  and  who  was  killed  by  the 
side  of  his  gun,  is  unknown  by  the  public. 

At  the  time  the  battle  of  the  Rough  Riders 
was  fought  the  25th  Infantry  was  within  hearing 
distance  of  the  battle  and  received  orders  to  re- 
inforce them,  which  they  could  have  done  in  less 
than  two  hours,  but  our  Brigade  Commander  in 
marching  to  the  scene  of  battle  took  the  wrong 
trail,  seemingly  on  purpose,  and  when  we  arrived 
at  the  place  of  battle  twilight  was  fading  into 
darkness. 


IN  THE  SPAN  I SH-AME  RICAN  WAR 


237 


The  march  in  the  direction  of  Santiago  con- 
tinued, until  the  evening  of  June  30th  found  us 
bivouacked  in  the  road  less  than  two  miles  from 
El  Caney.  At  the  first  glimpse  of  day  on  the 
first  day  of  July  word  was  passed  along  the  line 
for  the  companies  to  “fall  in.”  No  bugle  call 
was  sounded,  no  coffee  was  made,  no  noise 
allowed.  We  were  nearing  the  enemy,  and 
every  effort  was  made  to  surprise  him.  We  had 
been  told  that  El  Caney  was  well  fortified,  and 
so  we  found  it. 

The  first  warning  the  people  had  of  a foe  being- 
near  was  the  roar  of  our  field  artillery  and  the 
bursting  of  a shell  in  their  midst.  The  battle  was 
on.  In  many  cases  an  invading  army  serves 
notice  of  a bombardment,  but  in  this  case  it  was 
incompatible  with  military  strategy.  Non-com- 
batants, women  and  children,  all  suffered,  for  to 
have  warned  them  so  they  might  have  escaped 
would  also  have  given  warning  to  the  Spanish 
forces  of  our  approach.  The  battle  opened  at 
dawn  and  lasted  until  dark.  When  our  troops 
reached  the  point  from  which  they  were  to  make 
the  attack,  the  Spanish  lines  of  entrenched  sol- 
diers could  not  be  seen.  The  only  thing  indi- 
cating their  position  was  the  blockhouse  situated 
on  the  highest  point  of  a very  steep  hill.  The 
undergrowth  was  so  dense  that  one  could  not  see, 
on  a line,  more  than  fifty  yards  ahead.  The 
Spaniards,  from  their  advantageous  position  in 
the  blockhouse  and  trenches  on  the  hill  top,  had 


238 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


located  the  American  forces  in  the  bushes  and 
opened  a fusilade  upon  them.  The  Americans 
replied  with  great  vigor,  being  ordered  to  fire  at 
the  blockhouse  and  to  the  right  and  left  of  it, 
steadily  advancing  as  they  fired.  All  of  the  regi- 
ments engaged  in  the  battle  of  El  Caney  had 
not  reached  their  positions  when  the  battle 
was  precipitated  by  the  artillery  firing  on  the 
blockhouse.  The  25th  Infantry  was  among 
that  number.  In  marching  to  its  position 
some  companies  of  the  2d  Massachusetts 
Volunteers  were  met  retreating;  they  were 
completely  whipped,  and  took  occasion  to 
warn  us,  saying:  “Boys,  there  is  no  use  to 
go  up  there,  you  cannot  see  a thing;  they  are 
slaughtering  our  men !”  Such  news  made  us 
feel  “shaky,”  not  having,  at  the  time,  been  ini- 
tiated. We  marched  up,  however,  in  order  and 
were  under  fire  for  nine  hours.  Many  barbed- 
wire  obstructions  were  encountered,  but  the  men 
never  faltered.  Finally,  late  in  the  afternoon, 
our  brave  Lieutenant  Kinnison  said  to  another 
officer:  “We  cannot  take  the  trenches  without 
charging  them.”  Just  as  he  was  about  to  give 
the  order  for  the  bugler  to  sound  “the  charge”  he 
was  wounded  and  carried  to  the  rear.  The  men 
were  then  fighting  like  demons.  Without  a word 
of  command,  though  led  by  that  gallant  and 
intrepid  Second  Lieutenant  J.  A.  Moss,  25th 
Infantry,  some  one  gave  a yell  and  the  25th  In- 
fantry was  off,  alone,  to  the  charge.  The  4th 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


239 


U.  S.  Infantry,  fighting  on  the  left,  halted  when 
those  dusky  heroes  made  the  dash  with  a yell 
which  would  have  done  credit  to  a Comanche 
Indian.  No  one  knows  who  started  the  charge; 
one  thing  is  certain,  at  the  time  it  was  made  ex- 
citement was  running  high;  each  man  was  a 
captain  for  himself  and  fighting  accordingly. 
Brigadier  Generals,  Colonels,  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nels, Majors,  etc.,  were  not  needed  at  the  time 
the  25th  Infantry  made  the  charge  on  El  Caney, 
and  those  officers  simply  watched  the  battle  from 
convenient  points,  as  Lieutenants  and  enlisted 
men  made  the  charge  alone.  It  has  been  reported 
that  the  12th  U.  S.  Infantry  made  the  charge, 
assisted  by  the  25th  Infantry,  but  it  is  a recorded 
fact  that  the  25th  Infantry  fought  the  battle 
alone,  the  12th  Infantry  coming  up  after  the 
firing  had  nearly  ceased.  Private  T.  C.  Butler, 
Company  H,  25th  Infantry,  was  the  first  man  to 
enter  the  blockhouse  at  El  Caney,  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  Spanish  flag  for  his  regiment.  An 
Officer  of  the  12th  Infantry  came  up  while  Butler 
was  in  the  house  and  ordered  him  to  give  up  the 
flag,  which  he  was  compelled  to  do,  but  not  until 
he  had  torn  a piece  off  the  flag  to  substantiate  his 
report  to  his  Colonel  of  the  injustice  which  had 
been  done  to  him.  Thus,  by  using  the  authority 
given  him  by  his  shoulder-straps,  this  officer  took 
for  his  regiment  that  which  had  been  won  by  the 
hearts’  blood  of  some  of  the  bravest,  though 
black,  soldiers  of  Shafter’s  army. 


240 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


The  charge  of  El  Caney  has  been  little  spoken 
of,  but  it  was  quite  as  great  a show  of  bravery  as 
the  famous  taking  of  San  Juan  Hill. 

A word  more  in  regard  to  the  charge.  It  was 
not  the  glorious  run  from  the  edge  of  some  near- 
by thicket  to  the  top  of  a small  hill,  as  many  may 
imagine.  This  particular  charge  was  a tough, 
hard  climb,  over  sharp,  rising  ground,  which, 
were  a man  in  perfect  physical  strength,  he 
would  climb  slowly.  Part  of  the  charge  was 
made  over  soft,  plowed  ground,  a part  through 
a lot  of  prickly  pineapple  plants  and  barbed- 
wire  entanglements.  It  was  slow,  hard  work, 
under  a blazing-  July  sun  and  a perfect  hail- 
storm of  bullets,  which,  thanks  to  the  poor 
marksmanship  of  the  Spaniards,  “went  high.” 

It  has  been  generally  admitted,  by  all  fair- 
minded  writers,  that  the  colored  soldiers  saved 
the  day  both  at  El  Caney  and  San  Juan  Hill. 

Notwithstanding  their  heroic  services,  they 
were  still  to  be  subjected,  in  many  cases,  to  more 
hardships  than  their  white  brother  in  arms. 
When  the  flag  of  truce  was,  in  the  afternoon  of 
July  3d,  seen,  each  man  breathed  a sigh  of  relief, 
for  the  strain  had  been  very  great  upon  us.  Dur- 
ing the  next  eleven  days  men  worked  like  ants, 
digging  trenches,  for  they  had  learned  a lesson 
of  fighting  in  the  open  field.  The  work  went  on 
night  and  day.  The  25th  Infantry  worked 
harder  than  any  other  regiment,  for  as  soon  as 
they  would  finish  a trench  they  were  ordered  to 


IN  THE  SPAN ISH-AMERI GAN  WAR 


241 


Charge  on  El  Caney — Twenty-fifth  Infantry. 


242 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


move;  in  this  manner  they  were  kept  moving  and 
digging  new  trenches  for  eleven  days.  The 
trenches  left  were  each  time  occupied  by  a white 
regiment. 

On  July  14th  it  was  decided  to  make  a demon- 
stration in  front  of  Santiago,  to  draw  the  fire  of 
the  enemy  and  locate  his  position.  Two  com- 
panies of  colored  soldiers  (25th  Infantry)  were 
selected  for  this  purpose,  actually  deployed  as 
skirmishers  and  started  in  advance.  General 
Shafter,  watching  the  movement  from  a distant 
hill,  saw  that  such  a movement  meant  to  sacrifice 
those  men,  without  any  or  much  good  resulting, 
therefore  had  them  recalled.  Had  the  movement 
been  completed  it  is  probable  that  not  a man 
would  have  escaped  death  or  serious  wounds. 
When  the  news  came  that  General  Toral  had  de- 
cided to  surrender,  the  25th  Infantry  was  a thou- 
sand yards  or  more  nearer  the  city  of  Santiago 
than  any  regiment  in  the  army,  having  en- 
trenched themselves  along  the  railroad  leading 
into  the  city. 

The  following  enlisted  men  of  the  25th  In- 
fantry were  commissioned  for  their  bravery  at  El 
Caney:  First  Sergeant  Andrew  J.  Smith,  First 
Sergeant  Macon  Russell,  First  Sergeant  Wyatt 
Huffman  and  Sergeant  Wm.  McBryar.  Many 
more  were  recommended,  but  failed  to  receive 
commissions.  It  is  a strange  incident  that  all  the 
above-named  men  are  native  North  Carolinians, 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AHERICAN  WAR 


243 


but  First  Sergeant  Huffman,  who  is  from  Ten- 
nessee. 

The  Negro  played  a most  important  part  in  the 
Spanish-American  war.  He  was  the  first  to 
move  from  the  West;  first  at  Camp  Thomas, 
Chickamauga  Park,  Ga.,  first  in  the  jungle  of 
Cuba;  among  the  first  killed  in  battle;  first  in  the 
blockhouse  at  El  Caney,  and  nearest  to  the 
enemy  when  he  surrendered. 

FRANK  W.  PULLEN,  JR., 
Ex-Sergeant-Major  25th  EL  S.  Infantry. 

Enfield,  N.  C.,  March  23,  1899. 


BETFFALO  TROOPERS,  THE  NAME  BY 
WHICH  NEGRO  SOLDIERS  ARE 
KNOWN. 

THEY  COMPRISE  SEVERAL  OF  THE  CRACK  REGIMENTS  IN  OUR 
ARMY— THE  INDIANS  STAND  IN  ABJECT  TERROR  OF 
THEM— THEIR  AWFUL  YELLS  WON  A BATTLE 
WITH  THE  REDSKINS. 

“It  is  not  necessary  to  revert  to  the  Civil  War 
to  prove  that  American  Negroes  are  faithful,  de- 
voted wearers  of  uniforms,”  says  a Washington 
man,  who  has  seen  service  in  both  the  army  and 
the  navy.  “There  are  at  the  present  time  four 
regiments  of  Negro  soldiers  in  the  regular  army 
of  the  United  States — twTo  outfits  of  cavalry  and 
two  of  infantry.  All  four  of  these  regiments 
have  been  under  fire  in  important  Indian  cam- 
paigns, and  there  is  yet  to  be  recorded  a single 


244 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


instance  of  a man  in  any  of  the  four  layouts 
showing  the  white  feather,  and  the  two  cavalry 
regiments  of  Negroes  have,  on  several  occasions, 
found  themselves  in  very  serious  situations. 
While  the  fact  is  well  known  out  on  the  frontier, 
I don't  remember  ever  having  seen  it  mentioned 
back  here  that  an  American  Indian  has  a deadly 
fear  of  an  American  Negro.  The  most  utterly 
reckless,  dare-devil  savage  of  the  copper  hue 
stands  literally  in  awe  of  a Negro,  and  the 
blacker  the  Negro  the  more  the  Indian  quails. 
I can’t  understand  why  this  should  be,  for  the 
Indians  decline  to  give  their  reasons  for  fearing 
the  black  men,  but  the  fact  remains  that  even 
a very  bad  Indian  will  give  the  mildest-man- 
nered Negro  imaginable  all  the  room  he  wants, 
and  to  spare,  as  any  old  regular  army  soldier 
who  has  frontiered  will  tell  you.  The  Indians, 
I fancy,  attribute  uncanny  and  eerie  qualities 
to  the  blacks. 

“The  cavalry  troop  to  which  I belonged 
soldiered  alongside  a couple  of  troops  of  the 
9th  Cavalry,  a black  regiment,  up  in  the  Sioux 
country  eight  or  nine  years  ago.  We  were  per- 
forming chain  guard,  hemming-in  duty,  and  it 
was  our  chief  business  to  prevent  the  savages 
from  straying  from  the  reservation.  We 
weren’t  under  instructions  to  riddle  them  if 
they  attempted  to  pass  our  guard  posts,  but 
were  authorized  to  tickle  them  up  to  any  rea- 
sonable extent,  short  of  maiming  them,  with  our 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AME RICAN  WAR 


245 


bayonets,  if  any  of  them  attempted  to  bluff  past 
us.  Well,  the  men  of  my  troop  had  all  colors  of 
trouble  while  on  guard  in  holding  the  savages 
in.  The  Ogalallas  would  hardly  pay  any  atten- 
tion to  the  white  sentries  of  the  chain  guard, 
and  when  they  wanted  to  pass  beyond  the  guard 
limits  they  would  invariably  pick  out  a spot  for 
passage  that  was  patrolled  by  a white  ‘post- 
humper.’  But  the  guards  of  the  two  black  troops 
didn’t  have  a single  run-in  with  the  savages. 
The  Indians  made  it  a point  to  remain  strictly 
away  from  the  Negro  soldiers’  guard  posts. 
Moreover,  the  black  soldiers  got  ten  times  as 
much  obedience  from  the  Indians  loafing  around 
the  tepees  and  wickleups  as  did  we  of  the  white 
outfit.  The  Indians  would  fairly  jump  to  obey 
the  uniformed  Negroes.  I remember  seeing  a 
black  sergeant  make  a minor  chief  go  down  to 
a creek  to  get  a pail  of  water — an  unheard-of 
thing,  for  the  chiefs,  and  even  the  ordinary 
bucks  among  the  Sioux  always  make  their 
squaws  perform  this  sort  of  work.  This  chief 
was  sunning  himself,  reclining,  beside  his  tepee, 
when  his  squaw  started  with  the  bucket  for  the 
creek  some  distance  away.  The  Negro  sergeant 
saw  the  move.  He  walked  up  to  the  lazy,  grunt- 
ing savage. 

“ ‘Look  a-yeah,  yo’  spraddle-nosed,  yalluh 
voodoo  nigguh,’  said  the  black  sergeant — he 
was  as  black  as  a stove-pipe — to  the  blinking 
chief,  ‘jes’  shake  yo’  no-count  bones  an’  tote  dat 


246 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


wattuh  yo’se’f.  Yo’  ain’  no  bettuh  to  pack 
wattuh  dan  Ah  am,  yo’  heah  me.’ 

“The  heap-much  Indian  chief  didn’t  under- 
stand a word  of  what  the  Negro  sergeant  said 
to  him,  but  he  understands  pantomime  all  right, 
and  when  the  black  man  in  uniform  grabbed  the 
pail  out  of  the  squaw’s  hand  and  thrust  it  into 
the  dirty  paw  of  the  chief,  the  chief  went  after 
that  bucket  of  water,  and  he  went  a-loping,  too. 

“The  Sioux  will  hand  down  to  their  children’s 
children  the  story  of  a charge  that  a couple  of 
Negro  cavalry  troops  made  during  the  Pine 
Ridge  troubles.  It  was  on  the  height  of  the 
fracas,  and  the  bad  Indians  were  regularly  lined 
up  for  battle.  Those  two  black  troops  were  or- 
dered to  make  the  initial  swoop  upon  them.  You 
know  the  noise  one  black  man  can  make  when  he 
gets  right  down  to  the  business  of  yelling.  Well, 
these  two  troops  of  blacks  started  their  terrific 
whoop  in  unison  when  they  were  a mile  away 
from  the  waiting  Sioux,  and  they  got  warmed 
up  and  in  better  practice  with  every  jump  their 
horses  made.  I give  you  my  solemn  word  that 
iin  the  ears  of  us  of  the  white  outfit,  stationed 
three  miles  away,  the  yelps  those  two  Negro 
troops  of  cavalry  gave  sounded  like  the  carnival 
whooping  of  ten  thousand  devils.  The  Sioux 
weren’t  scared  a little  bit  by  the  approaching 
clouds  of  alkali  dust,  but,  all  the  same,  when  the 
two  black  troops  were  more  than  a quarter  of  a 
mile  away  the  Indians  broke  and  ran  as  if  the 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


247 


old  boy  himself  were  after  them,  and  it  was  then 
an  easy  matter  to  round  them  up  and  disarm 
them.  The  chiefs  afterward  confessed  that  they 
were  scared  out  by  the  awful  howling  of  the  black 
soldiers. 

“Ever  since  the  war  the  United  States  navy 
has  had  a fair  representation  of  Negro  blue- 
jackets, and  they  make  first-class  naval  tars. 
There  is  not  a ship  in  the  navy  to-day  that  hasn’t 
from  six  to  a dozen,  anyhow,  of  Negroes  on  its 
muster  rolls.  The  Negro  sailors’  names  very 
rarely  get  enrolled  on  the  bad  conduct  lists. 
They  are  obedient,  sober  men  and  good  seamen. 
There  are  many  petty  officers  among  them.” — 
‘The  Planet.” 


THE  CHARGE  OF  THE  “NIGGER  NINTH”  ON 
SAN  JUAN  HILL. 

BY  GEORGE  E.  POWELL. 

Hark!  O’er  the  drowsy  trooper’s  dream, 

There  comes  a martial  metal’s  scream, 

That  startles  one  and  all ! 

It  is  the  word,  to  wake,  to  die ! 

To  hear  the  foeman’s  fierce  defy! 

To  fling  the  column’s  battle-cry! 

The  “boots  and  saddles”  call. 

The  shimmering  steel,  the  glow  of  morn, 

The  rally-call  of  battle-horn, 

Proclaim  a day  of  carnage,  born 
For  better  or  for  ill. 

Above  the  pictured  tentage  white, 

Above  the  weapons  glinting  bright, 

The  day  god  casts  a golden  light 
Across  the  San  Juan  Hill. 


248 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


“Forward!”  “Forward!”  comes  the  cry, 
As  stalwart  columns,  ambling  by, 

Stride  over  graves  that,  waiting,  lie 
Undug  in  mother  earth  ! 

Their  goal,  the  flag  of  fierce  Castile 
Above  her  serried  ranks  of  steel, 
Insensate  to  the  cannon’s  peal 
That  gives  the  battle  birth! 


As  brawn  as  black — a fearless  foe ; 

Grave,  grim  and  grand,  they  onward  go, 
To  conquer  or  to  die! 

The  rule  of  right;  the  march  of  might; 

A dusky  host  from  darker  night, 
Responsive  to  the  morning  light, 

To  work  the  martial  will ! 

And  o’er  the  trench  and  trembling  earth, 
The  morn  that  gives  the  battle  birth 
Is  on  the  San  Juan  Hill ! 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


249 


Hark ! sounds  again  the  bugle  call ! 

Let  ring  the  rifles  over  all, 

To  shriek  above  the  battle-pall 
The  war-god’s  jubilee ! 

Their’s,  were  bondmen,  low,  and  long; 

Their’s,  once  weak  against  the  strong; 

Their’s,  to  strike  and  stay  the  wrong, 

That  strangers  might  be  free  ! 

And  on,  and  on,  for  weal  or  woe, 

The  tawny  faces  grimmer  go, 

That  bade  no  mercy  to  a foe 
That  pities  but  to  kill. 

“Close  up !”  “Close  up !”  is  heard,  and  said, 
And  yet  the  rain  of  steel  and  lead 
Still  leaves  a livid  trail  of  red 
Upon  the  San  Juan  Hill! 

“Charge  !”  “Charge  !”  The  bugle  peals  again  ; 
’Tis  life  or  death  for  Roosevelt's  men! — 

The  Mausers  make  reply! 

Aye ! speechless  are  those  swarthy  sons, 

Save  for  the  clamor  of  the  guns — 

Their  only  battle-cry! 

The  lowly  stain  upon  each  face, 

The  taunt  still  fresh  of  prouder  race, 

But  speeds  the  step  that  springs  a-pace, 

To  succor  or  to  die ! 

With  rifles  hot — to  waist-band  nude  ; 

The  brawn  beside  the  pampered  dude ; 

The  cowboy  king- — one  grave — and  rude — - 
To  shelter  him  who  falls! 

One  breast — and  bare, — howe’er  begot, 

The  low,  the  high — one  common  lot: 

The  world’s  distinction  all  forgot 
When  Freedom’s  bugle  calls! 

No  faltering  step,  no  fitful  start ; 

None  seeking  less  than  all  his  part; 

One  watchword  springing  from  each  heart, — 
Yet  on,  and  onward  still ! 


250 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


Charge  on  San  Juan  Hill. 


The  sullen  sound  of  tramp  and  tread; 
Abe  Lincoln’s  flag  still  overhead; 

They  followed  where  the  angels  led 
The  way,  up  San  Juan  Hill! 

And  where  the  life  stream  ebbs  and  flows, 
And  stains  the  track  of  trenchant  blows 
That  met  no  meaner  steel, 


IN  THE  SPANISH- AM  ERIC  AN  WAR 


251 


The  bated  breath — the  battle  yell — 

The  turf  in  slippery  crimson,  tell 
Where  Castile’s  proudest  colors  fell 
With  wounds  that  never  heal ! 

Where  every  trooper  found  a wreath 
Of  glory  for  his  sabre  sheath ; 

And  earned  the  laurels  well ; 

With  feet  to  field  and  face  to  foe, 

In  lines  of  battle  lying  low, 

The  sable  soldiers  fell ! 

And  where  the  black  and  brawny  breast 
Gave  up  its  all — life’s  richest,  best, 

To  find  the  tomb’s  eternal  rest 
A dream  of  freedom  still ! 

A groundless  creed  was  swept  away, 

With  brand  of  “coward” — a time-worn  say — 

And  he  blazed  the  path,  a better  way 
Up  the  side  of  San  Juan  Hill! 

For  black  or  white,  on  the  scroll  of  fame, 

The  blood  of  the  hero  dyes  the  same; 

And  ever,  ever  will ! 

Sleep,  trooper,  sleep  ; thy  sable  brow, 

Amid  the  living  laurel  now, 

Is  wound  in  wreaths  of  fame ! 

Nor  need  the  graven  granite  stone, 

To  tell  of  garlands  all  thine  own — 

To  hold  a soldier’s  name  ! 

[In  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  in  1866,  two  thousand  two  hundred 
and  sixty-six  ex-slaves  were  recruited  for  the  service.  None  but 
the  largest  and  blackest  Negroes  were  accepted.  From  these  were 
formed  the  Twenty-fourth  and  Twenty-fifth  Infantry,  and  the 
Ninth  and  Tenth  Cavalry.  All  four  are  famous  fighting  regiments, 
and  the  two  cavalry  commands  have  earned  the  proudest  distinction. 
But  the  record  of  the  Ninth  Cavalry,  better  known  as  the  “Nigger 
Ninth,”  in  its  thirty-two  years  of  service  in  the  Indian  wars,  in 
the  military  history  of  the  border  stands  without  a peer  and  is, 
without  exception,  the  most  famous  fighting  regiment  in  the  United 
States  service.] 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


252 


CHAPTER  IV. 

COLONEL  THEODORE  B.  ROOSEVELT 
TELLS  OF  THE  BRAVERY  OF 
NEGRO  SOLDIERS. 

When  Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt  returned 
from  the  command  of  the  famous  Rough  Riders, 
he  delivered  a farewell  address  to  his  men,  in 
which  he  made  the  following  kind  reference  to 
the  gallant  Negro  soldiers: 

“Now,  I want  to  say  just  a word  more  to  some 
of  the  men  I see  standing  around  not  of  your 
number.  I refer  to  the  colored  regiments,  who 
occupied  the  right  and  left  flanks  of  us  at  Guasi- 
mas,  the  Ninth  and  Tenth  cavalry  regiments. 
The  Spaniards  called  them  ‘Smoked  Yankees,’ 
but  we  found  them  to  be  an  excellent  breed  of 
Yankees.  I am  sure  that  I speak  the  sentiments 
of  officers  and  men  in  the  assemblage  when  I say 
that  between  you  and  the  other  cavalry  regi- 
ments there  exists  a tie  which  we  trust  will  never 
be  broken.” — “Colored  American.” 


The  foregoing  compliments  to  the  Negro  sol- 
diers by  Colonel  Roosevelt  started  up  an  ava- 
lanche of  additional  praise  for  them,  out  of  which 
the  fact  came,  that  but  for  the  Ninth  and  Tenth 
Cavalry  (colored)  coming  up  at  Las  Guasimas, 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WA  R 


253 


Colonel  Theodore  B.  Roosevelt. 


254 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


destroying  the  Spanish  blockhouse  and  driving 
the  Spaniards  off,  when  Roosevelt  and  his  men 
had  been  caught  in  a trap,  with  a barbed-wire 
fence  on  one  side  and  a precipice  on  the  other, 
not  only  the  brave  Capron  and  Fish,  but  the 
whole  of  his  command  would  have  been  annihi- 
lated by  the  Spanish  sharpshooters,  who  were 
firing  with  smokeless  powder  under  cover,  and 
picking  off  the  Rough  Riders  one  by  one,  who 
could  not  see  the  Spaniards.  To  break  the  force 
of  this  unfavorable  comment  on  the  Rough 
Riders,  it  is  claimed  that  Colonel  Roosevelt 
made  the  following  criticism  of  the  colored  sol- 
diers in  general  and  of  a few  of  them  in  particu- 
lar, in  an  article  written  by  him  for  the  April 
“Scribner”;  and  a letter  replying  to  the 
Colonel’s  strictures  follows  by  Sergeant  Holli- 
day, who  was  an  “eyewitness”  to  the  incident: 

Colonel  Roosevelt’s  criticism  was,  in  sub- 
stance, that  colored  soldiers  were  of  no  avail 
without  white  officers;  that  when  the  white 
commissioned  officers  are  killed  or  disabled,  col- 
ored non-commissioned  officers  could  not  be 
depended  upon  to  keep  up  a charge  already 
begun;  that  about  a score  of  colored  infantry- 
men, who  had  drifted  into  his  command,  weak- 
ened on  the  hill  at  San  Juan  under  the  galling 
Spanish  fire,  and  started  to  the  rear,  stating 
that  they  intended  finding  their  regiments  or 
to  assist  the  wounded;  whereupon  he  drew  his 
revolver  and  ordered  them  to  return  to  ranks 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AHERIGAN  WAR 


255 


and  there  remain,  and  that  he  would  shoot  the 
first  man  who  didn’t  obey  him;  and  that  after 
that  he  had  no  further  trouble. 

Colonel  Roosevelt  is  sufficiently  answered  in 
the  following  letter  of  Sergeant  Holliday,  and 
the  point  especially  made  by  many  eyewit- 
nesses (white)  who  were  engaged  in  that  fight 
is,  as  related  in  Chapter  Five  of  this  book,  that 
the  Negro  troops  made  the  charges  both  at 
San  Juan  and  El  Caney  after  nearly  all  their 
officers  had  been  killed  or  wounded.  Upon  what 
facts,  therefore,  does  Colonel  Roosevelt  base 
his  conclusions  that  Negro  soldiers  will  not 
fight  without  commissioned  officers,  when  the 
only  real  test  of  this  question  happened  around 
Santiago  and  showed  just  the  contrary  of  what 
he  states?  We  prefer  to  take  the  results  at 
El  Caney  and  San  Juan  as  against  Colonel 
Roosevelt’s  imagination. 


COLONEL  ROOSEVELT’S  ERROR. 

TRUE  STORY  OF  THE  INCIDENT  HE  MAGNIFIED  TO  OUR  HURT— 
THE  WHITE  OFFICERS’  HUMBUG  SKINNED  OF  ITS  HIDE 
BY  SERGEANT  HOLLIDAY— UNWRITTEN  HISTORY. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  “New  York  Age”: 

Having  read  in  “The  Age”  of  April  13th  an 
editorial  entitled  “Our  Troops  in  Cuba,”  which 
brings  to  my  notice  for  the  first  time  a state- 
ment made  by  Colonel  Roosevelt,  which,  though 
in  some  parts  true,  if  read  by  those  who  do 


256 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


not  know  the  exact  facts  and  circumstances 
surrounding  the  case,  will  certainly  give  rise  to 
the  wrong  impression  of  colored  men  as  sol- 
diers, and  hurt  them  for  many  a day  to  come, 
and  as  I was  an  eyewitness  to  the  most  im- 
portant incidents  mentioned  in  that  statement, 
I deem  it  a duty  I owe,  not  only  to  the  fathers, 
mothers,  sisters  and  brothers  of  those  soldiers, 
and  to  the  soldiers  themselves,  but  to  their 
posterity  and  the  race  in  general,  to  be  always 
ready  to  make  an  unprejudiced  refutation  of 
such  charges,  and  to  do  all  in  my  power  to 
place  the  colored  soldier  where  he  properly 
belongs — among  the  bravest  and  most  trust- 
worthy of  this  land. 

In  the  beginning,  I wish  to  say  that  from 
what  I saw  of  Colonel  Roosevelt  in  Cuba,  and 
the  impression  his  frank  countenance  made 
upon  me,  I cannot  believe  that  he  made  that 
statement  maliciously.  I believe  the  Colonel 
thought  he  spoke  the  exact  truth.  But  did  he 
know,  that  of  the  four  officers  connected  with 
two  certain  troops  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry  one 
was  killed  and  three  were  so  seriously  wounded 
as  to  cause  them  to  be  carried  from  the  field, 
and  the  command  of  these  two  troops  fell  to 
the  first  sergeants,  who  led  them  triumphantly 
to  the  front?  Does  he  know  that  both  at  Las 
Guasima  and  San  Juan  Hill  the  greater  part  of 
Troop  B,  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  was  separated 
from  its  commanding  officer  by  accidents  of 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


257 


battle  and  was  led  to  the  front  by  its  first 
sergeant? 

When  we  reached  the  enemy’s  works  on  San 
Juan  Hill  our  organizations  were  very  badly 
mixed,  few  company  commanders  having  their 
whole  companies  or  none  of  somebody  else’s 
company.  As  it  was,  Capt.  Watson,  my  troop 
commander,  reached  the  crest  of  the  hill  with 
about  eight  or  ten  men  of  his  troop,  all  the  rest 
having  been  accidentally  separated  from  him  by 
the  thick  underbrush  during  the  advance,  and 
being  at  that  time,  as  was  subsequently  shown, 
on  the  firing  line  under  some  one  else  pushing 
to  the  front.  We  kept  up  the  forward  move- 
ment, and  finally  halted  on  the  heights  over- 
looking Santiago,  where  Colonel  Roosevelt, 
with  a very  thin  line,  had  preceded  us  and 
was  holding  the  hill.  Here  Captain  Watson 
told  us  to  remain  while  he  went  to  another 
part  of  the  line  to  look  for  the  rest  of  his 
troop.  He  did  not  come  to  that  part  of  the 
field  again. 

The  Colonel  made  a slight  error  when  he 
said  his  mixed  command  contained  some  col- 
ored infantry.  All  the  colored  troops  in  that 
command  were  cavalrymen.  His  command 
consisted  mostly  of  Rough  Riders,  with  an 
aggregate  of  about  one  troop  of  the  Tenth 
Cavalry,  a few  of  the  Ninth  and  a few  of  the 
First  Regular  Cavalry,  with  a half  dozen  offi- 
cers. Every  few  minutes  brought  men  from 


258 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


the  rear,  everybody  seeming  to  be  anxious  to 
get  to  the  firing  line.  For  a while  we  kept  up 
a desultory  fire,  but  as  we  could  not  locate  the 
enemy  (he  all  the  time  keeping  up  a hot  fire 
on  our  position),  we  became  disgusted,  and 
lay  down  and  kept  silent.  Private  Marshall 
was  here  seriously  wounded  while  standing 
in  plain  view  of  the  enemy,  trying  to  point 
them  out  to  his  comrades. 

There  were  frequent  calls  for  men  to  carry 
the  wounded  to  the  rear,  to  go  for  ammuni- 
tion, and  as  night  came  on,  to  go  for  rations 
and  entrenching  tools.  A few  colored  soldiers 
volunteered,  as  did  some  from  the  Rough 
Riders.  It  then  happened  that  two  men  of 
the  Tenth  were  ordered  to  the  rear  by  Lieu- 
tenant Fleming,  Tenth  Cavalry,  who  was  then 
present  with  part  of  his  troop,  for  the  purpose 
of  bringing  either  rations  or  entrenching  tools, 
and  Colonel-  Roosevelt,  seeing  so  many  men 
going  to  the  rear,  shouted  to  them  to  come 
back,  jumped  up  and  drew  his  revolver,  and 
told  the  men  of  the  Tenth  that  he  would  shoot 
the  first  man  who  attempted  to  shirk  duty  by 
going  to  the  rear,  that  he  had  orders  to  hold 
that  line  and  he  would  do  so  if  he  had  to  shoot 
every  man  there  to  do  it.  His  own  men  im- 
mediately informed  him  that  “you  won’t  have 
to  shoot  those  men,  Colonel.  We  know  those 
boys.”  He  was  also  assured  by  Lieutenant 
Fleming,  of  the  Tenth,  that  he  would  have  no 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AME  RICAN  WAR 


259 


trouble  keeping  them  there,  and  some  of  our 
men  shouted,  in  which  I joined,  that  “we  will 
stay  with  you,  Colonel.”  Everyone  who  saw 
the  incident  knew  the  Colonel  was  mistaken 
about  our  men  trying  to  shirk  duty,  but  well 
knew  that  he  could  not  admit  of  any  heavy 
detail  from  his  command,  so  no  one  thought 
ill  of  the  matter.  Inasmuch  as  the  Colonel 
came  to  the  line  of  the  Tenth  the  next  day 
and  told  the  men  of  his  threat  to  shoot  some 
of  their  members,  and,  as  he  expressed  it,  he 
had  seen  his  mistake  and  found  them  to  be 
far  different  men  from  what  he  supposed.  I 
thought  he  was  sufficiently  conscious  of  his 
error  not  to  make  so  ungrateful  a statement 
about  us  at  a time  when  the  Nation  is  about 
to  forget  our  past  service. 

Had  the  Colonel  desired  to  note  the  fact,  he 
would  have  seen  that  when  orders  came  the 
next  day  to  relieve  the  detachment  of  the 
Tenth  from  that  part  of  the  field,  he  com- 
manded just  as  many  colored  men  at  that  time 
as  he  commanded  at  any  other  time  during 
the  twenty-four  hours  we  were  under  his  com- 
mand, although  colored  as  well  as  white  sol- 
diers were  going  and  coming  all  day,  and  they 
knew  perfectly  well  where  the  Tenth  Cavalry 
was  posted,  and  that  it  was  on  a line  about 
four  hundred  yards  further  from  the  enemy 
than  Colonel  Roosevelt’s  line.  Still,  when  they 
obtained  permission  to  go  to  the  rear,  they 


260 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


almost  invariably  came  back  to  the  same  posi- 
tion. Two  men  of  my  troop  were  wounded 
while  going  to  the  rear  for  water  and  taken  to 
the  hospital,  and,  of  course,  could  not  come  back. 

Our  men  always  made  it  a rule  to  join  the 
nearest  command  when  separated  from  our 
own,  and  those  who  had  been  so  unfortunate 
as  to  lose  their  way  altogether  were,  both  col- 
ored and  white,  straggling  up  from  the  time 
the  line  was  established  until  far  into  the 
night,  showing  their  determination  to  reach 
the  front. 

In  explaining  the  desire  of  our  men  in  going 
back  to  look  for  their  comrades,  it  should  be 
stated  that,  from  the  contour  of  the  ground, 
the  Rough  Riders  were  so  much  in  advance  of 
the  Tenth  Cavalry  that,  to  reach  the  latter 
regiment  from  the  former,  one  had  really  to 
go  straight  to  the  rear  and  then  turn  sharply 
to  the  right;  and  further,  it  is  a well-known 
fact,  that  in  this  country  most  persons  of  color 
feel  out  of  place  when  they  are  by  force  com- 
pelled to  mingle  with  white  persons,  especially 
strangers,  and  although  we  knew  we  were  do- 
ing our  duty,  and  would  be  treated  well  as  long 
as  we  stood  to  the  front  and  fought,  unfortu- 
nately some  of  our  men  (and  these  were  all 
recruits  with  less  than  six  months’  service)  felt 
so  much  out  of  place  that  when  the  firing 
lulled  they  often  showed  their  desire  to  be  with 
their  commands.  None  of  our  older  men  did 


IN  THE  SPANISH- AMERICAN  WAR 


261 


this.  We  knew  perfectly  well  that  we  could 
give  as  much  assistance  there  as  anywhere  else, 
and  that  it  was  our  duty  to  remain  until  re- 
lieved. And  we  did.  White  soldiers  do  not, 
as  a rule,  share  this  feeling  with  colored  sol- 
diers. The  fact  that  a white  man  knows  how 
well  he  can  make  a place  for  himself  among 
colored  people  need  not  be  discussed  here. 

I remember  an  incident  of  a recruit  of  my 
troop,  with  less  than  two  months’  service,  who 
had  come  up  to  our  position  during  the  even- 
ing of  the  1st,  having  been  separated  from  the 
troop  during  the  attack  on  San  Juan  Hill.  The 
next  morning,  before  the  firing  began,  having 
seen  an  officer  of  the  Tenth,  who  had  been  sent 
to  Colonel  Roosevelt  with  a message,  return- 
ing to  the  regiment,  he  signified  his  intention 
of  going  back  with  him,  saying  he  could  thus 
find  the  regiment.  I remonstrated  with  him 
without  avail,  and  was  only  able  to  keep  him 
from  going  by  informing  him  of  the  Colonel’s 
threat  of  the  day  before.  There  was  no  desire 
on  the  part  of  this  soldier  to  shirk  duty.  He 
simply  didn’t  know  that  he  should  not  leave 
any  part  of  the  firing  line  without  orders. 
Later,  while  lying  in  reserve  behind  the  firing 
line,  I had  to  use  as  much  persuasion  to  keep 
him  from  firing  over  the  heads  of  his  enemies 
as  I had  to  keep  him  with  us.  He  remained 
with  us  until  he  was  shot  in  the  shoulder  and 
had  to  be  sent  to  the  rear. 


262 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


I could  give  many  other  incidents  of  our 
men’s  devotion  to  duty,  of  their  determination 
to  stay  until  the  death,  but  what’s  the  use? 
Colonel  Roosevelt  has  said  they  shirked,  and 
the  reading  public  will  take  the  Colonel  at  his 
word  and  go  on  thinking  they  shirked.  His 
statement  was  uncalled  for  and  uncharitable, 
and  considering  the  moral  and  physical  effect 
the  advance  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry  had  in  weak- 
ening the  forces  opposed  to  the  Colonel’s  regi- 
ment, both  at  La  Guasima  and  San  Juan  Hill, 
altogether  ungrateful,  and  has  done  us  an  im- 
measurable lot  of  harm. 

And  further,  as  to  lack  of  qualifications  for 
command,  I will  say  that  when  our  soldiers, 
who  can  and  will  write  history,  sever  their 
connections  with  the  Regular  Army,  and  thus 
release  themselves  from  their  voluntary  status 
of  military  lockjaw,  -and  tell  what  they  saw, 
those  who  now  preach  that  the  Negro  is  not 
fit  to  exercise  command  over  troops,  and  will 
go  no  further  than  he  is  led  by  white  officers, 
will  see  in  print  held  up  for  public  gaze,  much 
to  their  chagrin,  tales  of  those  Cuban  battles 
that  have  never  been  told  outside  the  tent  and 
barrack  room,  tales  that  it  will  not  be  agreea- 
ble for  some  of  them  to  hear.  The  public 
will  then  learn  that  not  every  troop  or  com- 
pany of  colored  soldiers  who  took  part  in  the 
assaults  on  San  Juan  Hill  or  El  Caney  was 
led  or  urged  forward  by  its  white  officer. 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


263 


It  is  unfortunate  that  we  had  no  colored 
officers  in  that  campaign,  and  this  thing  of 
white  officers  for  colored  troops  is  exasperat- 
ing, and  I join  with  “The  Age”  in  saying  our 
motto  for  the  future  must  be:  “No  officers,  no 
soldiers.” 

PRESLEY  PIOLLIDAY, 
Sergeant  Troop  B,  Tenth  Cavalry. 

Fort  Ringgold,  Texas,  April  22,  1899. 


Jacob  A.  Riis,  in  “The  Outlook,”  gives  the 
following  interesting  reading  concerning  the 
colored  troopers  in  an  article  entitled  “Roose- 
velt and  His  Men”: 

“It  was  one  of  the  unexpected  things  in  this 
campaign  that  seems  destined  to  set  so  many 
things  right  that  out  of  it  should  come  the 
appreciation  of  the  colored  soldier  as  man  and 
brother  by  those  even  who  so  lately  fought  to 
keep  him  a chattel.  It  fell  to  the  lot  of  General 
‘Joe’  Wheeler,  the  old  Confederate  warrior,  to 
command  the  two  regiments  of  colored  troops, 
the  Ninth  and  Tenth  Cavalry,  and  no  one  will 
bear  readier  testimony  than  he  to  the  splendid 
record  they  made.  Of  their  patience  under  the 
manifold  hardships  of  roughing  it  in  the 
tropics,  their  helpfulness  in  the  camp  and  their 
prowess  in  battle,  their  uncomplaining  suffer- 
ing when  lying  wounded  and  helpless.  Stories 
enough  are  told  to  win  for  them  fairly  the  real 


264 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


brotherhood  with  their  white-skinned  fellows 
which  they  crave.  The  most  touching  of  the 
n*any  I heard  was  that  of  a Negro  trooper, 
who,  struck  by  a bullet  that  cut  an  artery  in 
his  neck,  was  lying  helpless,  in  danger  of  bleed- 
ing to  death,  when  a Rough  Rider  came  to  his 
assistance.  There  was  only  one  thing  to  be 
done — to  stop  the  bleeding  till  a surgeon  came. 
A tourniquet  could  not  be  applied  where  the 
wound  was.  The  Rough  Rider  put  his  thumb 
on  the  artery  and  held  it  there  while  he  waited. 
The  fighting  drifted  away  over  the  hill.  He 
followed  his  comrades  with  longing  eyes  till 
the  last  was  lost  to  sight.  His  place  was  there, 
but  if  he  abandoned  the  wounded  cavalryman 
it  was  to  let  him  die.  He  dropped  his  gun  and 
stayed.  Not  until  the  battle  was  won  did  the 
surgeon  come  that  way,  but  the  trooper’s  life 
was  saved.  He  told  of  it  in  the  hospital  with 
tears  in  his  voice:  ‘He  done  that  to  me,  he  did; 
stayed  by  me  an  hour  and  a half,  and  me  only 
a nigger.’  ” 


GENERAL  NELSON  A.  MILES  PAYS  A TRIBUTE  TO  THE  NEGRO 

SOLDIERS. 

Major-General  Nelson  A.  Miles,  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  the  Army  of  the  United  States, 
spoke  at  the  Peace  Jubilee  at  Chicago,  October 
11th,  and  said: 

“While  the  chivalry  of  the  South  and  the 
yeomanry  of  the  North  vied  with  their  devo- 


IN  THE  SPANISH- AMERICAN  WAR 


265 


General  Nelson  A.  Miles. 


266 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


tion  to  the  cause  of  their  country  and  in  their 
pride  in  its  flag  which  floated  over  all,  it’s  a 
glorious  fact  that  patriotism  was  not  confined 
to  any  one  section  or  race  for  the  sacrifice, 
bravery  and  fortitude.  The  white  race  was 
accompanied  by  the  gallantry  of  the  black  as 
they  swept  over  intrenched  lines  and  later  vol- 
unteered to  succor  the  sick,  nurse  the  dying 
and  bury  the  dead,  in  the  hospitals  and  the 
Cuban  camps.” 

This  was  grandly  spoken,  and  we  feel  grati- 
fied at  this  recognition  of  the  valor  of  one  of 
the  best  races  of  people  the  world  has  ever 
seen. 

“We  are  coming,  boys;  it’s  a little  slow  and 
tiresome,  but  we  are  coming.” — “Colored  Amer- 
ican.” 


WITHOUT  A PARALLEL. 

At  a social  reunion  of  the  Medal  of  Honor 
Legion  held  for  the  purpose  of  welcoming 
home  two  of  their  members,  General  Nelson  A. 
Miles,  commanding  the  Army  of  the  United 
States,  and  Colonel  M.  Emmett  Urell,  of  the 
First  District  Columbia  Volunteers,  in  the 
course  of  his  remarks  General  Miles  paid  the 
finest  possible  tribute  to  the  splendid  heroism 
and  soldierly  qualities  evidenced  by  the  men  of 
the  Ninth  and  Tenth  Cavalry,  and  24th  and 
25th  United  States  Infantry  in  the  late  San- 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


267 


tiago  campaign,  which  he  epitomized  as  “with- 
out a parallel  in  the  history  of  the  world.” 

At  the  close  of  his  remarks,  Major  C.  A. 
Fleetwood,  the  only  representative  of  the  race 
present,  in  behalf  of  the  race  extended  their 
heartfelt  and  warmest  thanks  for  such  a mag- 
nificent tribute  from  such  a magnificent  soldier 
and  man. — "Colored  American.” 


CLEVELAND  MOFFITT,  IN  “LESLIE’S  WEEKLY,”  DESCRIBES  THE 
HEROISM  OF  A “BLACK  COLOR-BEARER.” 

“Having  praised  our  war  leaders  sufficiently, 
in  some  cases  more  than  sufficiently  (witness 
Hobson),  let  us  give  honor  to  some  of  the 
humbler  ones,  who  fought  obscurely,  but  did 
fine  things  nevertheless. 

“There  was  Sergeant  Berry,  for  instance,  of 
the  Tenth  Cavalry,  who  might  have  boasted  his 
meed  of  kisses,  too,  had  he  been  a white  man. 
At  any  rate,  he  rescued  the  colors  of  a white 
regiment  from  unseemly  trampling  and  bore 
them  safely  through  the  bullets  to  the  top  of 
San  Juan  Hill.  Now,  every  one  knows  that 
the  standard  of  a troop  is  guarded  like  a man’s 
own  soul,  or  should  be,  and  how  it  came  that 
this  Third  Cavalry  banner  was  lying  on  the 
ground  that  day  is  something  that  may  never 
be  rightly  known.  Some  white  man  had  left 
it  there,  many  white  men  had  let  it  stay  there, 
but  Berry,  a black  man,  saw  it  fluttering  in 
shame  and  paused  in  his  running  long  enough 


268 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


to  catch  it  up  and  lift  it  high  overhead  beside 
his  own  banner — for  he  was  a color-bearer  of 
the  Tenth. 


Sergeant  Berry, 

The  first  soldier  who  reached  the  Blockhouse 
on  San  Juan  Hill  and  hoisted  the  American  flag 
in  a hail  of  Spanish  bullets. 

“Then,  with  two  flags  flying  above  him,  and 
two  heavy  staves  to  bear,  this  powerful  Negro 
(he  is  literally  a giant  in  strength  and  stature) 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


269 


charged  the  heights,  while  white  men  and  black 
men  cheered  him  as  they  pressed  behind.  Who 
shall  say  what  temporary  demoralization  there 
may  have  been  in  this  troop  of  the  Third  at 
that  critical  moment,  or  what  fresh  courage 
may  have  been  fired  in  them  by  that  black 
man’s  act!  They  say  Berry  yelled  like  a demon 
as  he  rushed  against  the  Spaniards,  and  I,  for 
one,  am  willing  to  believe  that  his  battle-cry 
brought  fighting  energy  to  his  own  side  as  well 
as  terror  to  the  enemy. 

“After  the  fight  one  of  the  officers  of  the 
Third  Cavalry  sought  Berry  out  and  asked  him 
to  give  back  the  trophy  fairly  won  by  him,  and 
his  to  keep,  according  to  the  usages  of  war. 
And  the  big  Negro  handed  back  the  banner 
with  a smile  and  light  word.  He  had  saved  the 
colors  and  rallied  the  troop,  but  it  didn’t  matter 
much.  They  could  have  the  flag  if  they  wanted 
it. 

“There  are  some  hundreds  of  little  things 
like  this  that  we  might  as  well  bear  in  mind,  we 
white  men,  the  next  time  we  start  out  to  decry 
the  Negro!” 

PRESIDENT  McKINLEY  RECOGNIZES 
THE  WORTH  OF  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 
BY  PROMOTION. 

PROMOTIONS  FOR  COLORED  SOLDIERS. 

Washington,  July  30. — Six  colored  non-com- 
missioned officers  who  rendered  particularly 


270 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


gallant  service  in  the  actions  around  Santiago 
on  July  1st  and  2d  have  been  appointed  second 
lieutenants  in  the  two  colored  immune  regi- 
ments recently  organized  under  special  act  of 
Congress.  These  men  are  Sergeants  William 


General  Thomas  J.  Morgan,  LL.D., 

Who  says  Negroes  are  Competent  to  be  Officers  in  the  Army. 

Washington,  Troop  F,  and  John  C.  Proctor, 
Troop  I,  of  the  9th  Cavalry,  and  Sergeants 
William  McBryar,  Company  H;  Wyatt  Hoff- 
man, Company  G;  Macon  Russell,  Company  H, 
and  Andrew  J.  Smith,  Company  B,  of  the  25th 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


271 


Infantry,  commanded  by  Colonel  Daggett. 
Jacob  C.  Smith,  Sergeant  Pendergrass,  Lieuten- 
ant Ray,  Sergeant  Horace  W.  Bivins,  Lieuten- 
ant E.  L.  Baker,  Lieutenant  J.  H.  Hill,  Lieuten- 
ant Buck. — “N.  Y.  World.” 

These  promotions  were  made  into  the  volun- 
teer regiments,  which  were  mustered  out  after 
the  war,  thus  leaving  the  men  promoted  in  the 
same  rank  they  were  before  promotion  if  they 
chose  to  reenlist  in  the  regular  army.  They 
got  no  permanent  advancement  by  this  act  of 
the  President,  but  the  future  may  develop  bet- 
ter things  for  them. 


COMPETENT  TO  BE  OFFICERS— THE 
VERDICT  OF  GENERAL  THOMAS  J. 
MORGAN,  AFTER  A STUDY  OF 
THE  NEGRO’S  OUALITY  AS 
A SOLDIER. 

COLOR  LINE  IN  THE  ARMY— DIFFICULTY  IN  MAKING  AFRO- 
AMERICANS  COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS— HEROISM  ON  THE 
FIELD  SURE  TO  REAP  REWARD— MORGAN  PREFERS 
NEGRO  TROOPS  TO  THE  WHITES. 

General  Thomas  J.  Morgan  belongs  to  that 
class  of  Caucasian  observers  who  are  able  to 
think  clearly  upon  the  Negro  problem  in  all  of 
its  phases,  and  who  have  not  only  the  breadth  of 
intelligence  to  form  just  and  generous  opinions, 
but  who  possess  that  rarer  quality,  the  courage 
to  give  them  out  openly  to  the  country.  Gen- 
eral Morgan  contributes  the  following  article  to 


272 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


the  “New  York  Independent,”  analyzing  the  mo- 
tives which  underlie  the  color  line  in  the  army. 
He  has  had  wide  experience  in  military  affairs, 
and  his  close  contact  with  Negro  soldiers  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  entitles  him  to  speak  with 
authority.  General  Morgan  says: 

“The  question  of  the  color  line  has  assumed 
an  acute  stage,  and  has  called  forth  a good  deal 
of  feeling.  The  various  Negro  papers  in  the 
country  are  very  generally  insisting  that  if  the 
Negro  soldiers  are  to  be  enlisted,  Negro  officers 
should  be  appointed  to  command  them.  One 
zealous  paper  is  clamoring  for  the  appointment, 
immediately,  by  the  President,  of  a Negro 
Major-General.  The  readers  of  “The  Independ- 
ent” know  very  well  that  during  the  Civil  War 
there  were  enlisted  in  the  United  States  army 
200,000  Negro  soldiers  under  white  officers,  the 
highest  position  assigned  to  a black  man  being 
that  of  first  sergeant,  or  of  regimental  sergeant- 
major.  The  Negroes  were  allowed  to  wear 
chevrons,  but  not  shoulder-straps  or  epaulets. 
Although  four  Negro  regiments  have  been  in- 
corporated in  the  regular  army,  and  have  ren- 
dered exceptionally  effective  service  on  the 
plains  and  elsewhere  for  a whole  generation, 
there  are  to-day  no  Negro  officers  in  the  service. 
A number  of  young  men  have  been  appointed 
as  cadets  at  West  Point,  but  the  life  has  not 
been  by  any  means  an  easy  one.  The  only  caste 
or  class  with  caste  distinctions  that  exists  in  the 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


273 


Republic  is  found  in  the  army;  army  officers 
are,  par  excellence,  the  aristocrats;  nowhere  is 
class  feeling'  so  much  cultivated  as  among  them; 
nowhere  is  it  so  difficult  to  break  down  the 
established  lines.  Singularly  enough,  though 
entrance  to  West  Point  is  made  very  broad,  and 
a large  number  of  those  who  go  there  to  be 
educated  at  the  expense  of  the  Government 
have  no  social  position  to  begin  with,  and  no 
claims  to  special  merit,  and  yet,  after  having 
been  educated  at  the  public  expense,  and  ap- 
pointed to  life  positions,  they  seem  to  cherish 
the  feeling  that  they  are  a select  few,  entitled 
to  special  consideration,  and  that  they  are  called 
upon  to  guard  their  class  against  any  insidious 
invasions.  Of  course  there  are  honorable  ex- 
ceptions. There  are  many  who  have  been  edu- 
cated at  West  Point  who  are  broad  in  their 
sympathies,  democratic  in  their  ideas,  and  re- 
sponsive to  every  appeal  of  philanthropy  and 
humanity;  but  the  spirit  of  West  Point  has  been 
opposed  to  the  admission  of  Negroes  into  the 
ranks  of  commissioned  officers,  and  the  opposi- 
tion to  the  commissioning  of  black  men  emanat- 
ing from  the  army  will  go  very  far  toward  the 
defeat  of  any  project  of  that  kind. 

“To  make  the  question  of  the  admission  of 
Negroes  into  the  higher  ranks  of  commissioned 
officers  more  difficult  is  the  fact  that  the  organi- 
zation of  Negro  troops  under  the  call  of  the 
President  for  volunteers  to  carry  on  the  war 


274 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


with  Spain  has  been  left  chiefly  to  the  Gov- 
ernors of  States.  Very  naturally  the  strong 
public  sentiment  against  the  Negro,  which  ob- 
tains almost  universally  in  the  South,  has  thus 
far  prevented  the  recognition  of  his  right  to 
be  treated  precisely  as  the  white  man  is  treated. 
It  would  be,  indeed,  almost  revolutionary  for 
any  Southern  Governor  to  commission  a Negro 
as  a colonel  of  a regiment,  or  even  a captain 
of  a company.  (Since  this  was  written  two 
Negro  colonels  have  been  appointed — in  the 
Third  North  Carolina  and  Eighth  Illinois.) 
Even  where  there  are  exceptions  to  this  rule, 
they  are  notable  exceptions.  Everywhere 
through  the  South  Negro  volunteers  are  made 
to  feel  that  they  are  not  upon  the  same  plane 
as  white  volunteers. 

“In  a recent  conversation  with  the  Adjutant- 
General  of  the  Army,  I was  assured  by  him 
that  in  the  organization  of  the  ten  regiments 
of  immunes  which  Congress  has  authorized, 
the  President  had  decided  that  five  of  them 
should  be  composed  of  Negroes,  and  that  while 
the  field  and  staff  officers  and  captains  are  to 
be  white,  the  lieutenants  may  be  Negroes.  If 
this  is  done  it  will  mark  a distinct  step  in 
advance  of  any  taken  hitherto.  It  will  recog- 
nize partially,  at  least,  the  manhood  of  the 
Negro,  and  break  down  that  unnatural  bar  of 
separation  now  existing.  If  a Negro  is  a lieu- 
tenant, he  will  command  his  company  in  the 


IN  TEE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


275 


absence  of  the  captain.  He  can  wear  epaulets 
and  be  entitled  to  all  the  rights  and  privileges 
‘of  an  officer  and  a gentleman’;  he  is  no  longer 
doomed  to  inferiority.  In  case  of  battle,  where 
bullets  have  no  respect  of  persons,  and  do  not 
draw  the  line  at  color,  it  may  easily  happen 
that  a regiment  or  battalion  will  do  its  best 
work  in  the  face  of  the  enemy  under  the  com- 
mand of  a Negro  chief.  Thus  far  the  Govern- 
ment has  been  swift  to  recognize  heroism  and 
efficiency,  whether  performed  by  Commodore 
Dewey  at  Manila  or  Lieutenant  Hobson  at 
Santiago,  and  it  can  hardly  be  otherwise  than 
that  it  will  be  ready  to  recognize  exceptional 
prowess  and  skill  when  performed  by  a Negro 
officer. 

“All,  perhaps,  which  the  Negroes  themselves, 
or  their  friends,  have  a right  to  ask  in  their 
behalf  is,  that  they  shall  have  a chance  to  show 
the  stuff  they  are  made  of.  The  immortal 
Lincoln  gave  them  this  chance  when  he  admit- 
ted them  to  wear  the  blue  and  carry  a musket ; 
and  right  manfully  did  they  justify  his  confi- 
dence. There  was  not  better  fighting  done 
during  the  Civil  War  than  was  done  by  some  , 
of  the  Negro  troops.  With  my  experience,  in 
command  of  5,000  Negro  soldiers,  I would,  on 
the  whole,  prefer,  I think,  the  command  of  a 
corps  of  Negro  troops  to  that  of  a corps  of 
white  troops.  With  the  magnificent  record  of 
their  fighting  qualities  on  many  a hard-con- 


276 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


tested  field,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  ask  that 
a still  further  opportunity  shall  be  extended  to 
them  in  commissioning  them  as  officers,  as  well 
as  enlisting  them  as  soldiers. 

“Naturally  and  necessarily  the  question  of 
fitness  for  official  responsibility  is  the  prime 
test  and  ought  to  be  applied,  and  if  Negroes 
cannot  be  found  of  sufficient  intelligence  or 
preparation  for  the  duties  incumbent  on  army 
officers,  nobody  should  object  to  the  places 
being  given  to  qualified  white  men.  But  so 
long  as  we  draw  no  race  line  of  distinction  as 
against  Germans  or  Irishmen,  and  institute  no 
test  of  religion,  politics  or  culture,  we  ought 
not  to  erect  an  artificial  barrier  of  color.  If 
the  Negroes  are  competent  they  should  be  com- 
missioned. If  they  are  incompetent  they  should 
not  be  trusted  with  the  grave  responsibilities 
attached  to  official  position.  I believe  they  are 
competent.” 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AHERICAN  WAR 


277 


CHAPTER  V. 

MANY  TESTIMONIALS  IN  BEHALF  OF 
THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS. 

A SOUTHERNER’S  STATEMENT,  THAT  THE  NEGRO  CAVALRY 
SAVED  THE  “ROUGH  RIDERS.” 

Some  of  the  officers  who  accompanied  the 
wounded  soldiers  on  the  trip  north  give  inter- 
esting accounts  of  the  fighting  around  Santiago. 
“I  was  standing  near  Captain  Capron  and  Ham- 
ilton Fish,  Jr.,”  said  a corporal  to  the  “Associat- 
ed Press”  correspondent  to-night,  “and  saw  them 
shot  down.  They  were  with  the  Rough  Riders 
and  ran  into  an  ambuscade,  though  they  had 
been  warned  of  the  danger.  If  it  had  not  been 
for  the  Negro  Cavalry  the  Rough  Riders  would 
have  been  exterminated.  I am  not  a Negro 
lover.  My  father  fought  with  Mosby’s  Rangers, 
and  I was  born  in  the  South,  but  the  Negroes 
saved  that  fight,  and  the  day  will  come  when 
General  Shafter  will  give  them  credit  for  their 
bravery.” — “Associated  Press.” 


RECONCILIATION. 

“Members  of  our  regiment  kicked  somewhat 
when  the  colored  troops  were  sent  forward  with 
them,  but  when  they  saw  how  the  Negroes 
fought  they  became  reconciled  to  the  situation 


278 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


and  ’some  of  them  now  say  the  colored  brother 
can  have  half  of  their  blankets  whenever  they 
want  them.” 

The  above  is  an  extract  from  a communica- 
tion to  the  “Daily  Afternoon  Journal,”  of  Beau- 
mont, Tex.,  written  by  a Southern  white  soldier. 
“Straws  tell  the  way  the  wind  blows,”  is  a 
hackneyed  expression,  but  an  apt  illustration  of 
the  subject  in  hand.  It  has  been  hinted  by  a 
portion  of  the  Negro  press  that  when  the  war 
ended,  that  if  there  is  to  be  the  millennium  of 
North  and  South,  the  Negroes  will  suffer  in 
the  contraction.  There  is  no  reason  to  en- 
courage this  pessimistic  view,  since  it  is  so 
disturbing  in  its  nature,  and  since  it  is  in  the 
province  of  the  individuals  composing  the  race 
to  create  a future  to  more  or  less  extent.  The 
wedge  has  entered;  it  remains  for  the  race  to 
live  up  to  its  opportunities.  The  South  already 
is  making  concessions.  While  concessions  are 
apt  to  be  looked  upon  as  too  patronizing,  and 
not  included  in  the  classification  of  rights  in 
common,  yet  in  time  they  amount  to  the  same. 
The  mere  statement  that  “the  colored  brother 
can  have  half  of  their  blankets  whenever  they 
want  them,”  while  doubtless  a figure  of  speech, 
yet  it  signifies  under  this  very  extreme  of  speech 
an  appreciable  advance  of  the  race.  It  does 
not  mean  that  there  is  to  be  a storming  of 
the  social  barriers,  for  even  in  the  more  fa- 
vored races  definite  lines  are  drawn.  Sets 


IN  TEE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


279 


and  circles  adjust  such  matters.  But  what  is 
desired  is  the  toleration  of  the  Negroes  in  those 
pursuits  that  the  people  engage  in  or  enjoy  in 
general  and  in  common.  It  is  all  that  the 
American  Negro  may  expect,  and  it  is  safe  to 
say  that  his  ambitions  do  not  run  higher,  and 
ought  not  to  run  higher.  Money  and  birth  in 
themselves  have  created  some  unwritten  laws 
that  are  much  stronger  than  those  decreed  and 
promulgated  by  governments.  It  would  be 
the  height  of  presumption  to  strike  at  these,  to 
some  extent,  privileged  classes.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  good  fortunes  of  war  will  pro- 
duce sanity  and  stability  in  the  race,  contend- 
ing for  abstract  justice. — “Freeman.” 

The  testimony  continues: 

Private  Smith  of  the  Seventy-first  Volunteers, 
speaking  about  the  impression  his  experience  at 
Santiago  had  made  upon  him,  said: 

“I  am  a Southerner  by  birth,  and  I never 
thought  much  of  the  colored  man.  But,  some- 
how, now  I feel  very  differently  toward  them, 
for  I met  them  in  camp,  on  the  battlefield,  and 
that’s  where  a man  gets  to  know  a man.  I 
never  saw  such  fighting  as  those  Tenth  Cavalry 
men  did.  They  didn’t  seem  to  know  what  fear 
was,  and  their  battle  hymn  was,  ‘There’ll  be  a 
hot  time  in  the  old  town  to-night.’  That’s  not 
a thrilling  hymn  to  hear  on  the  concert  stage, 
but  when  you  are  lying  in  a trench  with  the 
smell  of  powder  in  your  nose  and  the  crack  of 


280 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


rifles  almost  deafening  yon,  and  bullets  tearing 
up  the  ground  around  you  like  huge  hailstones 
beating  down  the  dirt,  and  you  see  before  you 
a blockhouse  from  which  there  belches  forth 
the  machine  gun,  pouring  a torrent  of  leaden 
missiles,  while  from  holes  in  the  ground  you 
see  the  leveled  rifles  of  thousands  of  enemies 
that  crack  out  death  in  ever-increasing  succes- 
sion, and  then  you  see  a body  of  men  go  up 
that  hill  as  if  it  were  in  drill,  so  solid  do  they 
keep  their  formation,  and  those  men  are  yelling, 
‘There’ll  be  a hot  time  in  the  old  town  to-night,’ 
singing  as  if  they  like  their  work,  why,  there’s 
an  appropriateness  in  the  tune  that  kind  of 
makes  your  blood  creep  and  your  nerves  to 
thrill,  and  you  want  to  get  up  and  go  ahead  if 
you  lose  a limb  in  the  attempt.  And  that’s  what 
those  ‘niggers’  did.  You  just  heard  the  Lieu- 
tenant say,  ‘Men,  will  you  follow  me?’  and  you 
hear  a tremendous  shout  answer  him,  ‘You  bet 
we  will,’  and  right  up  through  that  death-deal- 
ing storm  you  see  men  charge,  that  is,  you  see 
them  until  the  darned  Snider  rifle  powder  blinds 
you  and  hides  them. 

“And  there  is  another  thing,  too,  that  teaches 
a man  a lesson.  The  action  of  the  officers  on 
the  field  is  what  I speak  of.  Somehow  when 
you  watch  these  men  with  their  gold  braid  in 
armories  on  a dance  night  or  dress  parade  it 
strikes  you  that  they  are  a little  more  handsome 
and  ornamental  than  they  are  practical  and 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


281 


General  Maximo  Gomez,  of  the  Cuban  Army. 


282 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


useful.  To  tell  the  truth,  I didn’t  think  much 
of  those  dandy  officers  on  parade  or  dancing 
round  a ballroom.  I did  not  really  think  they 
were  worth  the  money  that  was  spent  upon 
them.  But  I just  found  it  was  different  on  the 
battlefield,  and  they  just  knew  their  business 
and  bullets  were  a part  of  the  show  to  them.” 

NEGRO  SOLDIERS. 

The  Charleston  “News  and  Courier”  says: 

“It  is  not  known  what  proportion  of  the  in- 
surgent army  is  colored,  but  the  indications  are 
that  the  proportion  of  the  same  element  in  the 
volunteer  army  of  occupation  will  be  small. 

“On  the  basis  of  population,  of  course,  one- 
third  of  the  South’s  quota  should  be  made  up 
of  colored,  and  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  they 
made  good  soldiers  and  constitute  a large  part 
of  the  regular  army.  There  were  nearly  250,000 
of  them  in  service  in  the  last  war.” 


THE  NEGRO  AS  A SOLDIER— HIS  GOOD 
MARKSMANSHIP— THE  FIGHT  AT 
EL  CANEY— “WOE  TO  SPAN- 
ISH IN  RANGE.” 

There  has  been  hitherto  among  the  officers  of 
the  army  a certain  prejudice  against  serving  in 
the  Negro  regiments.  But  the  other  day  a 
Lieutenant  in  the  Ninth  Infantry  said  enthu- 
siastically: 

“Do  you  know,  I shouldn’t  want  anything 


IN  THE  8PANISH-AMERI0AN  WAR 


283 


better  than  to  have  a company  in  a Negro 
regiment?  I am  from  Virginia,  and  have 
always  had  the  usual  feeling  about  command- 
ing colored  troops.  But  after  seeing  that 
charge  of  the  Twenty-fourth  up  the  San  Juan 
Hill,  I should  like  the  best  in  the  world  to 
have  a Negro  company.  They  went  up  that 
incline  yelling  and  shouting  just  as  I used  to 
hear  when  they  were  hunting  rabbits  in  Vir- 
ginia. The  Spanish  bullets  only  made  them 
wilder  to  reach  the  trenches.” 

Officers  of  other  regiments  which  were  near 
the  Twenty-fourth  on  July  1st  are  equally 
strong  in  their  praise  of  the  Negroes.  Their 
yells  were  an  inspiration  to  their  white  com- 
rades and  spread  dismay  among  the  Spaniards. 
A captain  in  a volunteer  regiment  declares  that 
the  Twenty-fourth  did  more  than  any  other 
to  win  the  day  at  San  Juan.  As  they  charged 
up  through  the  white  soldiers  their  enthusiasm 
was  spread,  and  the  entire  line  fought  the  bet- 
ter for  their  cheers  and  their  wild  rush. 

Spanish  evidence  to  the  effectiveness  of  the 
colored  soldiers  is  not  lacking.  Thus  an  officer 
who  was  with  the  troops  that  lay  in  wait  for  the 
Americans  at  La  Guasima  on  June  24th,  said: 

“What  especially  terrified  our  men  was  the 
huge  American  Negroes.  We  saw  their  big, 
black  faces  through  the  underbrush,  and  they 
looked  like  devils.  They  came  forward  under 
our  fire  as  if  they  didn’t  the  least  care  about  it.” 


284 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


THE  CHARGE  AT  EL  CANEY. 

It  was  the  Tenth  Cavalry  that  had  this  effect 
on  the  Spaniards.  At  San  Juan  the  Ninth 
Cavalry  distinguished  itself,  its  commander, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Hamilton,  being  killed. 
The  fourth  of  the  Negro  regiments,  the  Twen- 
ty-fifth Infantry,  played  an  especially  brilliant 
part  in  the  battle  of  El  Caney  on  July  1st. 
It  was  held  in  reserve  with  the  rest  of  Colonel 
Miles’  brigade,  but  was  ordered  to  support 
General  Lawton’s  brigade*  toward  the  middle 
of  the  day.  At  that  hour  marching  was  an 
ordeal,  but  the  men  went  on  at  a fast  pace. 
With  almost  no  rest  they  kept  it  up  until  they 
got  into  action.  The  other  troops  had  been 
fighting  hard  for  hours,  and  the  arrival  of  the 
Twenty-fifth  was  a blessing.  The  Negroes 
went  right  ahead  through  the  tired  ranks  of 
their  comrades.  Their  charge  up  the  hill, 
which  was  surmounted  by  Spanish  rifle  pits 
and  a stone  fort,  has  been  told.  It  was  the 
work  of  only  a part  of  the  regiment,  the  men 
coming  chiefly  from  three  companies.  Colonel 
Miles  had  intended  having  his  whole  brigade 
make  the  final  charge,  but  the  Twenty-fifth 
didn’t  wait  for  orders.  It  was  there  to  take 
that  hill,  and  take  the  hill  it  did. 

One  of  the  Spanish  officers  captured  there 
seemed  to  think  that  the  Americans  were  tak- 
ing an  unfair  advantage  of  them  in  having  col- 
ored men  who  fought  like  that.  He  had  been 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AME  RICAN  WAR 


285 


accustomed  to  the  Negroes  in  the  insurgent 
army,  and  a different  lot  they  are  from  those 
in  the  United  States  army. 

“Why,”  he  said  ruefully,  “even  your  Negroes 
fight  better  than  any  other  troops  I ever  saw.” 

The  way  the  Negroes  charged  up  the  El 
Caney  and  San  Juan  hills  suggested  inevitably 
that  their  African  nature  has  not  been  entirely 
eliminated  by  generations  of  civilization,  but 
was  bursting  forth  in  savage  yells  and  in  that 
wild  rush,  some  of  them  were  fairly  frantic  with 
the  delight  of  the  battle.  And  it  was  no  mere 
craziness.  They  are  excellent  marksmen,  and 
they  aim  carefully  and  well.  Woe  to  the 
Spaniards  who  showed  themselves  above  the 
trenches  when  a colored  regiment  was  in  good 
range. 

MAGNIFICENT  SHOWING  MADE  BY 
THE  NEGROES— THEIR  SPLENDID 
COURAGE  AT  SANTIAGO  THE 
ADMIRATION  OF  ALL  OFFI- 
CERS. 

THEY  WERE  LED  BY  SOUTHERN  MEN— BLACK  MEN  FROM  THE 
SOUTH  FOUGHT  LIKE  TIGERS  AND  END  A QUESTION  OFTEN 
DEBATED— IN  ONLY  ONE  OR  TWO  ACTIONS  OF  THE 
CIVIL  WAR  WAS  THERE  SUCH  A LOSS  OF 
OFFICERS  AS  AT  SAN  JUAN. 

[Telegram  to  “Commercial.”] 

Washington,  July  6,  1898. 
Veterans  who  are  comparing  the  losses  at 
the  battle  of  San  Juan,  near  Santiago,  last 
Friday,  with  those  at  Big  Bethel  and  the  first 


286 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


Bull  Run  say  that  in  only  one  or  two  actions 
of  the  late  war  was  there  such  a loss  in  officers 
as  occurred  at  San  Juan  Hill. 

The  companies  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Infan- 
try are  without  officers.  The  regiment  had 
four  captains  knocked  down  within  a minute 
of  each  other.  Capt.  A.  C.  Ducat  was  the  first 
officer  hit  in  the  action,  and  was  killed  instantly. 
His  second  lieutenant,  John  A.  Gurney,  a Michi- 
gan man,  was  struck  dead  at  the  same  time  as 
the  captain,  and  Lieutenant  Henry  G.  Lyon  was 
left  in  command  of  Company  D,  but  only  for  a 
few  minutes,  for  he,  too,  went  down.  Liscum, 
commanding  the  regiment,  was  killed. 

NEGROES  FIGHT  LIKE  TIGERS. 

Company  F,  Twenty-fourth  Infantry,  lost 
Lieutenant  Augustin,  of  Louisiana,  killed,  and 
Captain  Crane  was  left  without  a commissioned 
officer.  The  magnificent  courage  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, Louisiana,  Arkansas  and  Texas  Negroes, 
which  make  up  the  rank  and  file  of  this  regi- 
ment, is  the  admiration  of  every  officer  who  has 
written  here  since  the  fight.  The  regiment  has 
a large  proportion  of  Southern-born  officers, 
who  led  their  men  with  more  than  usual  ex- 
posure. 

These  men  had  always  said  the  Southern 
Negro  would  fight  as  staunchly  as  any  white 
man,  if  he  was  led  by  those  in  whom  he  had 
confidence.  The  question  has  often  been  de- 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


287 


First  Pay-Day  in  Cuba  for  the  Ninth  and  Tenth  Cavalry. 


288 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


bated  in  every  mess  of  the  army.  San  Juan 
Hill  offered  the  first  occasion  in  which  this 
theory  could  be  tested  practically,  and  tested 
it  was  in  a manner  and  with  a result  that  makes 
its  believers  proud  of  the  men  they  commanded. 
It  has  helped  the  morale  of  the  four  Negro 
regiments  beyond  words.  The  men  of  the 
Twenty-fourth  Infantry,  particularly,  and  their 
comrades  of  the  Ninth  and  Tenth  Cavalry  as 
well,  are  proud  of  the  record  they  made. 

THEY  NEVER  WAVERED. 

The  Twenty-fourth  took  the  brunt  of  the 
fight,  and  all  through  it,  even  when  whole  com- 
panies were  left  without  an  officer,  not  for  a 
moment  were  these  colored  soldiers  shaken  or 
wavering  in  the  face  of  the  fierce  attack  made 
upon  them.  Wounded  Spanish  officers  declare 
that  the  attack  was  thus  directed  because  they 
did  not  believe  the  Negro  would  stand  up 
against  them  and  they  believed  there  was  the 
faulty  place  in  the  American  line.  Never  were 
men  more  amazed  than  were  the  Spanish  offi- 
cers to  see  the  steadiness  and  cool  courage  with 
which  the  Twenty-fourth  charged  front  forward 
on  its  tenth  company  (a  difficult  thing  to  do 
at  any  time),  under  the  hottest  fire.  The  value 
of  the  Negro  as  a soldier  is  no  longer  a de- 
batable question.  It  has  been  proven  fully  in 
one  of  the  sharpest  fights  of  the  past  three 
years. 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AHE RICAN  WAR 


289 


“OUR  BOYS,”  THE  SOLDIERS. 

WHAT  ARMY  OFFICERS  AND  OTHERS  HAVE  TO  SAY  OF  THE 

NEGROES’  CONDUCT  IN  WAR— '‘GIVE  HONOR  TO  WHOM 
HONOR  IS  DUE”— ACME  OF  BRAVERY. 

It  has  been  said,  “Give  honor  to  whom  honor 
is  due,”  and  while  it  is  just  and  right  that  it 
should  be  so,  there  are  times,  however,  when 
the  “honor”  due  is  withheld. 

Ever  since  the  battle  of  San  Juan  Hill  at 
Santiago  de  Cuba  nearly  every  paper  in  the 
land  has  had  nothing  but  praise  for  the  bravery 
shown  by  the  “Rough  Riders,”  and  to  the  ex- 
tent that,  not  knowing  the  truth,  one  would 
naturally  arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  the 
“Rough  Riders”  were  “the  whole  thing.”  Al- 
though sometimes  delayed,  the  truth,  like  mur- 
der, “will  out.”  It  is  well  enough  to  praise 
the  “Rough  Riders”  for  all  they  did,  but  why 
not  divide  honors  with  the  other  fellows  who 
made  it  possible  for  them,  the  “Rough  Riders,” 
to  receive  praise,  and  be  honored  by  a generous 
and  valor-loving  nation? 

After  the  battles  of  El  Caney  and  San  juan 
Hill,  many  wounded  American  soldiers  who 
were  able  to  travel  were  given  furloughs  to 
their  respective  homes  in  the  United  States,  and 
Lieutenant  Thomas  Roberts,  of  this  city,  was 
one  of  them.  Shortly  after  Lieutenant  Roberts 
arrived  in  the  city  he  was  interviewed  by  a 
representative  of  the  “Illinois  State  Register,” 
to  whom  he  gave  a description  of  the  battle  of 


290 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


July  1st.  He  said:  “On  the  night  of  June  30th 
the  second  squadron  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry  did 
outpost  duty.  Daylight  opened  on  the  soon- 
to-be  blood-sodden  field  on  July  1st,  and  the 
( Tenth  was  ordered  to  the  front.  First  went  the 
first  squadron,  followed  soon  after  by  the 
second,  composed  of  Troops  G,  I,  B and  A. 
The  Tenth  Cavalry  is  composed  of  Negroes, 
commanded  by  white  officers,  and  I have 
naught  but  the  highest  praise  for  the  swarthy 
warriors  on  the  field  o‘f  carnage.  Led  by  brave 
men,  they  will  go  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight, 
even  to  the  wicket  mouths  of  deadly  cannon, 
unflinchingly.” 

Lieutenant  Roberts  says  further  that  “at  9 
o’clock  on  the  morning  of  July  1st  the  order 
came  to  move.  Forward  we  went,  until  we 
struck  a road  between  two  groves,  which  road 
was  swept  by  a hail  of  shot  and  shell  from 
Spanish  guns.  The  men  stood  their  ground 
as  if  on  dress  parade.  Single  file,  every  man 
ready  to  obey  any  command,  they  bade  defiance 
to  the  fiercest  storm  of  leaden  hail  that  ever 
hurtled  over  a troop  of  United  States  cavalry. 
The  order  came,  ‘Get  under  cover,’  and  the 
Seventy-first  New  York  and  the  Tenth  Cavalry 
took  opposite  sides  of  the  road  and  lay  down 
in  the  bushes.  For  a short  time  no  orders  came, 
and  feeling  a misapprehension  of  the  issue,  I 
hastened  forward  to  consult  with  the  first  lieu- 
tenant of  the  company.  We  found  that  through 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


291 


a misinterpreted  order  the  captain  of  the  troop 
and  eight  men  had  gone  forward.  Hastening 
back  to  my  post  I consulted  with  the  captain  in 
the  rear  of  Troop  G,  and  the  quartermaster 
appeared  upon  the  scene  asking  the  whereabouts 
of  the  Tenth  Cavalry.  They  made  known  their 
presence,  and  the  quartermaster  told  them  to 
go  on.  Showing  the  path,  the  quartermaster 
led  them  forward  until  the  bend  in  the  San 
Juan  River  was  reached.  Here  the  first  blood- 
shed in  the  Tenth  occurred,  a young  volunteer 
named  Baldwin  fell,  pierced  by  a Spanish  ball.” 

An  aide  hastened  up  and  gave  the  colonel  of 
the  regiment  orders  to  move  forward.  The 
summit  of  the  hill  was  crowned  by  two  block- 
houses, and  from  these  came  an  unceasing  fire. 
Lieutenant  Roberts  said  he  had  been  lying  on 
the  ground,  but  rose  to  his  knees  to  repeat  an 
order,  “Move  forward,”  when  a mauser  ball 
struck  him  in  the  abdomen  and  passed  entirely 
through  his  body.  Being  wounded,  he  was  car- 
ried off  the  field,  but  after  all  was  over,  Lieu- 
tenant Roberts  says  it  was  said  (on  the  quiet, 
of  course)  that  “the  heroic  charge  of  the  Tenth 
Cavalry  saved  the  ‘Rough  Riders’  from  destruc- 
tion.” Lieutenant  Roberts  says  he  left  Cuba  on 
the  12th  of  July  for  Fort  Monroe,  and  that  a 
wounded  Rough  Rider  told  him  while  coming 
over  that  “had  it  not  been  for  the  Tenth  Cavalry 
the  Rough  Riders  would  never  have  passed 
through  the  seething  caldron  of  Spanish  mis- 


m 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


siles.”  Such  is  the  statement  of  one  of  Spring- 
field’s best  citizens,  a member  of  the  Tenth 
Cavalry,  United  States  regulars. 

Some  days  later,  Lieutenant  Roberts  had 
occasion  to  visit  Chicago  and  Fort  Sheridan, 
and  while  there  he  was  interviewed  by  a repre- 
sentative of  the  “Chicago  Chronicle,”  to  whom 
he  related  practically  the  same  story  as  above 
stated.  “You  probably  know  my  regiment  is 
made  up  exclusively  of  Negroes  except  for  the 
commissioned  officers,  and  I want  to  say  right 
here  that  those  men  performed  deeds  of  heroism 
on  that  day  which  have  no  parallel  in  the  his- 
tory of  warfare.  They  were  under  fire  from 
six  in  the  morning  until  1 :30  in  the  afternoon, 
with  strict  orders  not  to  return  the  hail  of  lead, 
and  not  a man  in  those  dusky  ranks  flinched. 
Our  brigade  was  instructed  to  move  forward 
soon  after  1 o’clock  to  assault  the  series  of 
blockhouses  which  was  regarded  as  impregna- 
ble by  the  foreign  attaches.  As  the  aide  dashed 
down  our  lines  with  orders  from  headquarters 
the  boys  realized  the  prayed-for  charge  was 
about  to  take  place  and  cheered  lustily.  Such 
a charge!  Will  I ever  forget  that  sublime  spec- 
tacle? There  was  a river  called  San  Juan,  from 
the  hill  hard  by,  but  which  historians  will  term 
the  pool  of  blood.  Our  brigade  had  to  follow 
the  course  of  that  creek  fully  half  a mile  to 
reach  the  point  selected  for  the  grand  attack. 
With  what  cheering  did  the  boys  go  up  that 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  093 


First  President  of  the  Cuban  Republic. 


294 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


hill ! Their  naked  bodies  seemed  to  present  a 
perfect  target  to  the  fire  of  the  dons,  but  they 
never  flinched.  When  the  command  reached 
the  famous  stone  blockhouse  it  was  commanded 
by  a second  sergeant,  who  was  promoted  on 
the  field  of  battle  for  extraordinary  bravery. 
San  Juan  fell  many  minutes  before  El  Caney, 
which  was  attacked  first,  and  I think  the  Negro 
soldiers  can  be  thanked  for  the  greater  part 
of  that  glorious  work.  All  honor  to  the  Negro 
soldiers!  No  white  man,  no  matter  what  his 
ancestry  may  be,  should  be  ashamed  to  greet 
any  of  those  Negro  cavalrymen  with  out- 
stretched hand.  The  swellest  of  the  Rough 
Riders  counted  our  troopers  among  their  best 
friends  and  asked  them  to  their  places  in  New 
York  when  they  returned,  and  I believe  the 
wealthy  fellows  will  prove  their  admiration  had 
a true  inspiration.” 

Thus  we  see  that  while  the  various  news- 
papers of  the  country  are  striving  to  give  the 
Rough  Riders  first  honors,  an  honest,  straight- 
forward army  officer  who  was  there  and  took  an 
active  part  in  the  fight,  does  not  hesitate  to  give 
honor  to  whom  honor  is  due,  for  he  says,  “All 
honor  to  the  Negro  soldiers,”  and  that  it  was 
they  who  “saved  the  Rough  Riders  from  de- 
struction.” And  right  here  I wish  to  call  the 
reader’s  attention  to  another  very  important 
matter,  and  that  is,  while  it  has  been  said  here- 
tofore that  the  Negro  soldier  was  not  competent 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


295 


to  command,  do  not  the  facts  in  the  case  prove, 
beyond  a doubt,  that  there  is  no  truth  in  the 
statement  whatever?  If  a white  colonel  was 
“competent”  to  lead  his  command  into  the  fight, 
it  seems  that  a colored  sergeant  was  competent 
extraordinary,  for  he  not  only  went  into  the 
fight,  but  he,  and  his  command,  “done  some- 
thing,” done  the  enemy  out  of  the  trenches, 
“saved  the  Rough  Riders  from  destruction,”  and 
planted  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  the  blockhouse. 

Just  before  the  charge,  one  of  the  foreign  at- 
taches, an  Englishman,  was  heard  to  say  that 
he  did  not  see  how  the  blockhouse  was  to  be 
reached  without  the  aid  of  cannon;  but  after 
the  feat  had  been  accomplished,  a colored  soldier 
said,  “We  showed  him  how.” 

Now  that  the  colored  soldier  has  proven  to 
this  nation,  and  the  representatives  of  others, 
that  he  can,  and  does  fight,  as  well  as  the  “other 
fellow,”  and  that  he  is  also  “competent”  to  com- 
mand, it  remains  to  be  seen  if  the  national  gov- 
ernment will  give  honor  to  whom  honor  is  due, 
by  honoring  those  deserving  with  commissions. 
Under  the  second  call  for  volunteers  by  the 
President,  the  State  of  Illinois  raised  a regiment 
of  colored  soldiers,  and  Governor  Tanner  offi- 
cered that  regiment  with  colored  officers  from 
colonel  down;  and  that,  as  you  might  say,  be- 
fore they  had  earned  their  “rank.”  Now  the 
question  is,  can  the  national  government  afford 
to  do  less  by  those  who  have  earned,  and  are 


296 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


justly  entitled  to,  a place  in  the  higher  ranks? 
We  shall  see. 


Springfield,  111. 


C.  F.  ANDERSON. 


COLORED  FIGHTERS  AT  SANTIAGO. 


Testimony  is  multiplying  of  the  bravery  of 
the  colored  troops  at  Santiago  de  Cuba  July  1st 
and  2d,  1898. 

Testimony  is  adduced  to  show  that  these 
“marvels  of  warfare”  actually  fought  without 
officers  and  executed  movements  under  a galling 
fire  which  would  have  puzzled  a recruit  on 
parade  ground.  The  “Boston  Journal”  of  the 
31st,  in  its  account,  gives  the  following  inter- 
view— Mason  Mitchell  (white)  said: 

“We  were  in  a valley  when  we  started,  but 
made  at  once  for  a trail  running  near  the  top 
of  a ridge  called  La  Quasina,  several  hundred 
feet  high,  which,  with  several  others  parallel  to 
it,  extended  in  the  direction  of  Santiago.  By 
a similar  trail  near  the  top  of  the  ridge  to  our 
right  several  companies  of  Negro  troopers  of 
the  Ninth  and  Tenth  United  States  Cavalry 
marched  in  scout  formation,  as  we  did.  We 
had  an  idea  about  where  the  Spaniards  were 
and  depended  upon  Cuban  scouts  to  warn  us, 
but  they  did  not  do  it.  At  about  8.30  o’clock  in 
the  morning  we  met  a volley  from  the  enemy, 
who  were  ambushed,  not  only  on  our  ridge,  but 
on  the  one  to  the  right.  Beyond  the  Negro 
troops  and  the  Negro  soldiers  were  under  a 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


297 


cross  fire.  That  is  how  Capt.  Capron  and  Ham- 
ilton Fish  were  killed.'’ 

It  says:  “Handsome  young  Sergt.  Stewart, 
the  Rough  Rider  protege  of  Henry  W.  Maxwell, 
when  he  was  telling  of  the  fight  in  the  ambush, 
gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  the  Rough  Riders 
would  have  been  wiped  out  if  the  tenth  Cav- 
alry (colored)  had  not  come  up  just  in  time 
to  drive  the  Spaniards  back.  ‘I’m  a Southerner, 
from  New  Mexico,  and  I never  thought  much 
of  the  “nigger”  before.  Now  I know  what  they 
are  made  of.  I respect  them.  They  certainly 
can  fight  like  the  devil  and  they  don’t  care  for 
bullets  any  more  than  they  do  for  the  leaves 
that  shower  down  on  them.  I’ve  changed  my 
opinion  of  the  colored  folks,  for  of  all  the  men 
that  I saw  fighting,  there  were  none  to  beat 
the  Tenth  Cavalry  and  the  colored  infantry  at 
Santiago,  and  I don’t  mind  saying  so.’  ” 

The  description  which  follows  is  interesting: 

“It  was  simply  grand  to  see  how  those  young 
fellows,  and  old  fellows,  too,  men  who  were  rich 
and  had  been  the  petted  of  society  in  the  city, 
walk  up  and  down  the  lines  while  their  clothes 
were  powdered  by  the  dust  from  exploding 
shells  and  torn  by  broken  fragments,  cool  as 
could  be,  and  yelling  to  the  men  to  lay  low  and 
take  good  aim,  or  directing  some  squad  to  take 
care  of  a poor  devil  who  was  wounded.  Why, 
at  times  there  when  the  bullets  were  so  thick 
they  mowed  the  grass  down  like  grass  cutters 


298 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


in  places,  the  officers  stood  looking  at  the  enemy- 
through  glasses  as  if  they  were  enjoying  the 
scene,  and  now  and  then  you’d  see  a Captain  or 
a Lieutenant  pick  up  a gun  from  a wounded  or 
dead  man  and  blaze  away  himself  at  some  good 
shot  that  he  had  caught  sight  of  from  his 
vantage  point.  Those  sights  kind  of  bring  men 
together  and  make  them  think  more  of  each 
other.  And  when  a white  man  strayed  from  his 
regiment  and  falls  wounded  it  rather  affects  him 
to  have  a Negro,  shot  himself  a couple  of 
times,  take  his  carbine  and  make  a splint  of  it 
to  keep  a torn  limb  together  for  the  white 
soldier,  and  then,  after  lifting  him  to  one  side, 
pick  up  the  wounded  man’s  rifle  and  go  back 
to  the  fight  with  as  much  vigor  as  ever.  Yes, 
sir,  we  boys  have  learned  something  down  there, 
even  if  some  of  us  were  pretty  badly  torn  for  it.” 

Another  witness  testifies:  “Trooper  Lewis 
Bowman,  another  of  the  brave  Tenth  Cavalry, 
had  two  ribs  broken  by  a Spanish  shell  while 
before  San  Juan.  He  told  of  the  battle  as  fol- 
lows : 

“ ‘The  Rough  Riders  had  gone  off  in  great 
glee,  bantering  up  and  good-naturedly  boasting 
that  they  were  going  ahead  to  lick  the  Spaniards 
without  any  trouble,  and  advising  us  to  remain 
where  we  were  until  they  returned,  and  they 
would  bring  back  some  Spanish  heads  as  tro- 
phies. When  we  heard  firing  in  the  distance, 
our  Captain  remarked  that  some  one  ahead 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


299 


was  doing  good  work.  The  firing  became  so 
heavy  and  regular  that  our  officers,  without 
orders,  decided  to  move  forward  and  recon- 
noitre. When  we  got  where  we  could  see  what 
was  going  on  we  found  that  the  Rough  Riders 
had  marched  down  a sort  of  canyon  between 
the  mountains.  The  Spaniards  had  men  posted 
at  the  entrance,  and,  as  soon  as  the  Rough 
Riders  had  gone  in,  had  about  closed  up  the 
rear  and  were  firing  upon  the  Rough  Riders 
from  both  the  front  and  rear.  Immediately 
the  Spaniards  in  the  rear  received  a volley  from 
our  men  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry  (colored)  with- 
out command.  The  Spaniards  were  afraid  we 
were  going  to  flank  them,  and^  rushed  out  of 
ambush,  in  front  of  the  Rough  Riders,  throw- 
ing up  their  hands  and  shouting,  “Don’t  shoot; 
we  are  Cubans.” 

“ ‘The  Rough  Riders  thus  let  them  escape, 
and  gave  them  a chance  to  take  a better  posi- 
tion ahead.  During  all  this  time  the  men  were 
all  in  the  tall  grass  and  could  not  see  even  each 
other,  and  I feared  the  Rough  Riders  in  the 
rear  shot  many  of  their  men  in  the  front,  mis- 
taking them  for  Spanish  soldiers.  By  this  time 
the  Tenth  Cavalry  had  fully  taken  in  the  situa- 
tion, and,  adopting  the  method  employed  in 
fighting  the  Indians,  were  able  to  turn  the  tide 
of  battle  and  repulse  the  Spaniards.’  ” 

He  speaks  plainly  when  he  says: 

“I  don’t  think  it  an  exaggeration  to  say  that 


300 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


if  it  had  not  been  for  the  timely  aid  of  the  Tenth 
Cavalry  (colored)  the  Rough  Riders  would  have 
been  exterminated.  This  is  the  unanimous 
opinion,  at  least,  of  the  men  of  the  Tenth 
Cavalry.  I was  in  the  fight  of  July  1,  and  it 
was  in  that  fight  that  I received  my  wound. 
We  were  under  fire  in  that  fight  about  forty- 
eight  hours,  and  were  without  food  and  with 
but  little  water.  We  had  been  cut  off  from 
our  pack  train,  as  the  Spanish  sharpshooters 
shot  our  mules  as  soon  as  they  came  anywhere 
near  the  lines,  and  it  was  impossible  to  move 
supplies.  Very  soon  after  the  firing  began  our 
Colonel  was  killed,  and  the  most  of  our  other 
officers  were  killed  or  wounded,  so  that  the 
greater  part  of  that  desperate  battle  was  fought 
by  some  of  the  Ninth  and  Tenth  Cavalry  with- 
out officers;  or,  at  least,  if  there  were  any  officers 
around,  we  neither  saw  them  nor  heard  their 
commands.  The  last  command  I heard  our 
Captain  give  was : 

“ ‘Boys,  when  you  hear  my  whistle,  lie  flat 
down  on  the  ground.’ 

“Whether  he  ever  whistled  or  not  I do  not 
know.  The  next  move  we  made  was  when,  with 
a terrific  yell,  we  charged  up  to  the  Spanish 
trenches  and  bayoneted  and  clubbed  them  out 
of  their  places  in  a jiffy.  Some  of  the  men  of 
our  regiment  say  that  the  last  command  they 
heard  was:  ‘To  the  rear!’  But  this  command 
they  utterly  disregarded  and  charged  to  the  front 


IN  THE  SPAN  I SH- AMERICAN  WAR 


301 


until  the  day  was  won,  and  the  Spaniards,  those 
not  dead  in  the  trenches,  fled  back  to  the  city.” 

But  a colored  man,  Wm.  BI.  Brown,  a mem- 
ber of  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  said: 

“A  foreign  officer,  standing  near  our  position 
when  we  started  out  to  make  that  charge,  was 
heard  to  say:  ‘Men,  for  heaven’s  sake  don’t  go 
up  that  hill!  It  will  be  impossible  for  human 
beings  to  take  that  position!  You  can’t  stand 
the  fire!’  Notwithstanding  this,  with  a terrific 
yell  we  rushed  up  the  enemy’s  works,  and  you 
know  the  result.  Men  who  saw  him  say  that 
when  this  officer  saw  us  make  the  charge  he 
turned  his  back  upon  us  and  wept. 

“And  the  odd  thing  about  it  all  is  that  these 
wounded  heroes  never  will  admit  that  they  did 
anything  out  of  the  common.  They  will  talk 
all  right  about  those  ‘other  fellows,’  but  they 
don’t  about  themselves,  and  were  immensely 
surprised  when  such  a fuss  was  made  over  them 
on  their  arrival  and  since.  They  simply  believed 
they  had  a duty  to  perform  and  performed  it.” 
—“Planet.” 


OUR  COLORED  SOLDIERS. 

A FEW  OF  THE  INTERESTING  COMMENTS  ON  THE  DEEDS 
PERFORMED  BY  THE  BRAVE  BOYS  OF  THE  REGULAR 
ARMY— SAVED  THE  LIFE  OF  HIS  LIEUTENANT 
BUT  LOST  HIS  OWN. 

“The  Ninth  and  Tenth  Cavalry  are  composed 
of  the  bravest  lot  of  soldiers  I ever  saw.  They 


302 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


held  the  ground  that  Roosevelt  retreated  from 
and  saved  them  from  annihilation.” 

To  a Massachusetts  soldier  in  another  group 
of  interviewers,  the  same  question  was  put: 
“How  about  the  colored  soldiers?” 

“They  fought  like  demons,”  came  the  answer. 

“Before  El  Caney  was  taken  the  Spaniards 
were  on  the  heights  of  San  Juan  with  heavy 
guns.  All  along  our  line  an  assault  was  made 
and  the  enemy  was  holding  us  off  with  terrible 
effect.  From  their  blockhouse  on  the  hill  came 
a magazine  of  shot.  Shrapnell  shells  fell  in  our 
ranks,  doing  great  damage.  Something  had  to 
be  done  or  the  day  would  have  been  lost.  The 
Ninth  and  part  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry  moved 
across  into  a thicket  near  by.  The  Spaniards 
rained  shot  upon  them.  They  collected  and  like 
a flash  swept  across  the  plains  and  charged  up 
the  hill.  The  enemy’s  guns  were  used  with 
deadly  effect.  On  and  on  they  went,  charging 
with  the  fury  of  madness.  The  blockhouse  was 
captured,  the  enemy  fled  and  we  went  into  El 
Caney.” 

In  another  group  a trooper  from  an  Illinois 
regiment  was  explaining  the  character  of  the 
country  and  the  effect  of  the  daily  rains  upon 
the  troops.  Said  he: 

“Very  few  colored  troops  are  sick.  They 
stood  the  climate  better  and  even  thrived  on  the 
severity  of  army  life.” 

Said  he;  “I  never  had  much  use  for  a ‘nigger* 


IN  TEE  SPANISH-AHERICAN  WAR 


303 


Cubans  Fighting  from  Tree  Tops. 


304 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


and  didn’t  want  him  in  the  fight.  He  is  all 
right,  though.  He  makes  a good  soldier  and 
deserves  great  credit.” 

Another  comrade  near  by  related  the  story 
as  told  by  a cavalry  lieutenant,  who  with  a party 
reconnoitered  a distance  from  camp.  The  thick 
growth  of  grass  and  vines  made  ambuscading  a 
favorite  pastime  with  the  Spaniards.  With 
smokeless  powder  they  lay  concealed  in  the 
grass.  As  the  party  rode  along  the  sharp  eye 
of  a colored  cavalryman  noticed  the  movement 
of  grass  ahead.  Leaning  over  his  horse  with 
sword  in  hand  he  plucked  up  an  enemy  whose 
gun  was  levelled  at  the  officer.  The  Spaniard 
was  killed  by  the  Negro,  who  himself  fell  dead, 
shot  by  another.  He  had  saved  the  life  of  his 
lieutenant  and  lost  his  own. 

A comrade  of  the  Seventeenth  Infantry  gave 
his  testimony.  Said  he: 

“I  shall  never  forget  the  1st  of  July.  At  one 
time  in  the  engagement  of  that  day  the  Twenty- 
first  Infantry  had  faced  a superior  force  of 
Spaniards  and  were  almost  completely  sur- 
rounded. The  Twenty-fourth  Infantry,  of  col- 
ored troops,  seeing  the  perilous  position  of  the 
Twenty-first,  rushed  to  the  rescue,  charged  and 
routed  the  enemy,  thereby  saving  the  ill-fated 
regiment.” 

Col.  Joseph  Haskett,  of  the  Seventeenth 
Regular  Infantry,  testifies  to  the  meritorious 
conduct  of  the  Negro  troops.  Said  he: 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


305 


“Our  colored  soldier  is  100  per  cent,  superior 
to  the  Cuban.  He  is  a good  scout,  brave  soldier, 
and  not  only  that,  but  is  everywhere  to  be  seen 
building  roads  for  the  movement  of  heavy  guns.” 

Among  the  trophies  of  war  brought  to  Old 
Point  were  a machete,  the  captured  property  of 
a colored  trooper,  and  a fine  Spanish  sword, 
taken  from  an  officer,  and  a little  Cuban  lad 
about  nine  years  old,  whose  parents  had  bled 
for  Cuba.  His  language  and  appearance  made 
him  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes.  He  was  dressed 
in  a little  United  States  uniform  and  had  pinned 
to  his  clothing  a tag  which  read:  “Santiago 
buck,  care  of  Col.  C.  L.  Wilson,  Manhattan 
Club,  New  York.”  His  name  is  Varrames  y 
Pillero. 

He  seemed  to  enjoy  the  shower  of  small  coin 
that  fell  upon  him  from  the  hotels.  His  first 
and  only  English  words  were  “Moocha  Moona.” 

These  fragments  were  gathered  while  visit- 
ing at  Old  Point  Comfort.  They  serve  to  show 
the  true  feeling  of  the  whites  for  their  brave 
black  brother. 

A.  E.  MEYZEEK,  in  the  “Freeman.” 

Louisville,  Ky. 


BLACK  SOLDIER  BOYS. 

The  following  is  what  the  New  York  “Mail 
and  Express”  said  respecting  the  good  services 
being  rendered  by  our  black  soldier  boys: 


306 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


“All  honors  to  the  black  troopers  of  the  gal- 
lant Tenth!  No  more  striking  example  of 
bravery  and  coolness  has  been  shown  since  the 
destruction  of  the  Maine  than  by  the  colored 
veterans  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry  during  the  at- 
tack upon  Caney  on  Saturday.  By  the  side  of 
the  intrepid  Rough  Riders  they  followed  their 
leader  up  the  terrible  hill  from  whose  crest  the 
desperate  Spaniards  poured  down  a deadly  fire 
of  shell  and  musketry.  They  never  faltered. 
The  breaks  in  their  ranks  were  filled  as  soon  as 
made.  Firing  as  they  charged,  their  aim  was 
splendid,  their  coolness  was  superb,  and  their 
courage  aroused  the  admiration  of  their  com- 
rades. Their  advance  was  greeted  with  wild 
cheers  from  the  white  regiments,  and  with  an 
answering  shout  they  pressed  onward  over  the 
trenches  they  had  taken  close  in  the  pursuit  of 
the'  retreating  enemy.  The  war  has  not  shown 
greater  heroism.  The  men  whose  own  freedom 
was  baptized  with  blood  have  proved  them- 
selves capable  of  giving  up  their  lives  that 
others  may  be  free.  To-day  is  a glorious 
Fourth  for  all  races  of  people  in  this  great 
land.” 


THEY  NEVER  FALTERED. 

The  test  of  the  Negro  soldier  has  been  ap- 
plied and  to-day  the  whole  world  stands  amazed 
at  the  valor  and  distinctive  bravery  shown  by 
the  men,  who,  in  the  face  of  a most  galling  fire, 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


307 


rushed  onward  while  shot  and  shell  tore  fear- 
ful gaps  in  their  ranks.  These  men,  the  Tenth 
Cavalry,  did  not  stop  to  ask  was  it  worth  while 
for  them  to  lay  down  their  lives  for  the  honor 
of  a country  that  has  silently  allowed  her  citi- 
zens to  be  killed  and  maltreated  in  almost  every 
conceivable  way;  they  did  not  stop  to  ask  would 
their  death  bring  deliverance  to  their  race  from 
mob  violence  and  lynching.  They  saw  their 
duty  and  did  it!  The  “New  York  Journal” 
catches  inspiration  from  the  wonderful  courage 
of  the  Tenth  Cavalry  and  writes  these  words: 

“The  two  most  picturesque  and  most  charac- 
teristically American  commands  in  General 
Shafter’s  army  bore  off  the  great  honors  of  a 
day  in  which  all  won  honor. 

“No  man  can  read  the  story  in  to-day’s 
“Journal’  of  the  ‘Rough  Riders’  ’ charge  on  the 
blockhouse  at  El  Caney,  of  Theodore  Roose- 
velt’s mad  daring  in  the  face  of  what  seemed 
certain  death,  without  having  his  pulses  beat 
faster  and  some  reflected  light  of  the  fire  of 
battle  gleam  from  his  eyes. 

“And  over  against  this  scene  of  the  cowboy 
and  the  college  graduate,  the  New  York  man 
about  town  and  the  Arizona  bad  man  united 
in  one  coherent  war  machine,  set  the  picture  of 
the  Tenth  United  States  Cavalry — the  famous 
colored  regiment.  Side  by  side  with  Roose- 
velt’s men  they  fought — these  black  men. 
Scarce  used  to  freedom  themselves,  they  are 


308 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


dying  that  Cuba  may  be  free.  Their  marks- 
manship was  magnificent,  say  the  eyewitnesses. 
Their  courage  was  superb.  They  bore  them- 
selves like  veterans,  and  gave  proof  positive 
that  out  of  nature  naturally  peaceful,  care- 
less and  playful,  military  discipline  and  an  in- 
spiring cause  can  make  soldiers  worthy  to  rank 
with  Caesar’s  legions  or  Cromwell’s  army. 

“The  Rough  Riders  and  the  Black  Regiment! 
In  those  two  commands  is  an  epitome  of  almost 
our  whole  national  character.” 


THE  NEGRO  AS  A SOLDIER. 

HIS  GOOD  NATURE— HIS  KINDHEARTEDNESS— EOUALLY 
AVAILABLE  IN  INFANTRY  OR  CAVALRY. 

The  good  nature  of  the  Negro  soldier  is 
remarkable.  He  is  always  fond  of  a joke  and 
never  too  tired  to  enjoy  one.  Officers  have 
wondered  to  see  a whole  company  of  them,  at 
the  close  of  a long  practice  march,  made  with 
heavy  baggage,  chasing  a rabbit  which  some 
one  may  have  started.  They  will  run  for  sev- 
eral hundred  yards  whooping  and  yelling  and 
laughing,  and  come  back  to  camp  feeling  as  if 
they  had  had  lots  of  fun.  The  white  soldier, 
even  if  not  tired,  would  never  see  any  joke  in 
rushing  after  a rabbit.  To  the  colored  man  the 
diversion  is  a delight. 

In  caring  for  the  sick,  the  Negro’s  tender- 
heartedness is  conspicuous.  On  one  of  the 
transports  loaded  with  sick  men  a white  soldier 


IN  TEE  SPANISH- A ME  RICAN  WAR 


309 


asked  to  be  helped  to  his  bunk  below.  No  one 
of  his  color  stirred,  but  two  Negro  convales- 
cents at  once  went  to  his  assistance.  When 
volunteers  were  called  for  to  cook  for  the  sick, 
only  Negroes  responded.  They  were  pleased 
to  be  of  service  to  their  officers.  If  the  Cap- 
tain’s child  is  ill,  every  man  in  the  company  is 
solicitous;  half  of  them  want  to  act  as  nurse. 
They  feel  honored  to  be  hired  to  look  after  an 
officer’s  horse  and  clothing.  The  ‘‘striker,”  as 
he  is  called,  soon  gets  to  look  on  himself  as  a 
part  of  his  master;  it  is  no  “Captain  has  been 
ordered  away,”  but  “We  have  been  ordered 
away.”  Every  concern  of  his  employer  about 
which  he  knows  interests  him,  and  a slight  to 
his  superior  is  vastly  more  of  an  offence  than  if 
offered  to  himself.  Indeed,  if  the  army  knew 
how  well  officers  of  the  colored  regiments  are 
looked  after  by  their  men,  there  would  be  less 
disinclination  to  serve  in  such  commands.  After 
years  with  a Negro  company,  officers  find  it 
difficult  to  get  along  with  white  soldiers.  They 
must  be  much  more  careful  to  avoid  hurting 
sensibilities,  and  must  do  without  many  little 
services  to  which  they  have  been  accustomed. 

MRS.  PORTER’S  RIDE  TO  THE  FRONT. 

For  many  years  she  has  known  and  admired 
Miss  Barton,  and  against  the  advice  of  her 
friends  had  resolved  to  help  Miss  Barton  in  her 
task  of  succoring  the  sufferers  in  Cuba. 


310 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


During  the  second  day’s  fighting  Mrs.  Por- 
ter, escorted  by  a general  whom  she  has  known 
for  many  years,  rode  almost  to  the  firing  line. 
Bullets  whistled  about  her  head,  but  she  rode 
bravely  on  until  her  curiosity  was  satisfied. 
Then  she  rode  leisurely  back  to  safety.  She 
came  back  filled  with  admiration  of  the  colored 
troops.  She  described  them  as  being  “brave  in 
battle,  obedient  under  orders  and  philosophical 
under  privations.” 

Thanks  to  Mrs.  Porter,  the  wife  of  the  Presi- 
dent’s private  secretary.  Mrs.  Porter  is  one  of 
heaven’s  blessings,  sent  as  a messenger  of  “The 
Ship”  earth,  to  testify  in  America  what  she 
saw  of  the  Negro  troops  in  Cuba. 


THE  INVESTMENT  OF  SANTIAGO  AND 
SURRENDER. 

(As  Presented  in  the  “N.  Y.  World.”) 

General  Shafter  put  a human  rope  of  22,400 
men  around  Santiago,  with  its  26,000  Spanish 
soldiers,  and  then  Spain  succumbed  in  despair. 
In  a semicircle  extending  around  Santiago, 
from  Daiquiri  on  the  east  clear  around  to  Cobre 
on  the  west,  our  troops  were  stretched  a cordon 
of  almost  impenetrable  thickness  and  strength. 
First  came  General  Bates,  with  the  Ninth, 
Tenth,  Third,  Thirteenth,  Twenty-first  and 
Twenty-fourth  U.  S.  Infantry.  On  his  right 
crouched  General  Sumner,  commanding  the 
Third,  Sixth  and  Ninth  U.  S.  Cavalry.  Next 


IN  THE  SPANISR-AMERICAN  WAR 


311 


Investment  of  Santiago  by  U.  S.  Army. 


312 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


along  the  arc  were  the  Seventh,  Twelfth  and 
Seventeenth  U.  S.  Infantry  under  General 
Chaffee.  Then,  advantageously  posted,  there 
were  six  batteries  of  artillery  prepared  to  sweep 
the  horizon  under  direction  of  General  Ran- 
dolph. General  Jacob  Kent,  with  the  Seventy- 
first  New  York  Volunteers  and  the  Sixth  and 
Sixteenth  U.  S.  Infantry,  held  the  centre.  They 
were  flanked  by  General  Wheeler  and  the 
Rough  Riders,  dismounted ; eight  troops  of  the 
First  U.  S.  V olunteers,  four  troops  of  the  Sec- 
ond U.  S.  Cavalry,  four  light  batteries,  two 
heavy  batteries  and  then  four  more  troops  of 
the  Second  U.  S.  Cavalry. 

Santiago’s  Killed  and  Wounded  Compared  With  Historic 
Battles. 


Men  Engaged 

Killed  and 
Wounded. 

Lost. 

PerCt. 

Agincourt  

62,000 

11,400 

.18 

Alma  

103,000 

8,400 

.08 

Bannockburn  

i35.ooo 

38,000 

.28 

Borodino  

250,000 

78,000 

•3i 

Cannae  

146,000 

52,000 

•34 

Cressy  

117,000 

31,000 

.27 

Gravelotte  

396,000 

62,000 

.16 

Sadowa  

291,000 

33,ooo 

.11 

Waterloo  

221,000 

51,000 

.23 

Antietanr  

87,000 

31,000 

.29 

Austerlitz  

154,000 

38,000 

.48 

Gettysburg  

185,000 

34,ooo 

•44 

Sedan  

314,000 

47,000 

•36 

Santiago  

22,400 

1,457 

•07 

( El  Caney 

3.300 

650 

.19 

< San  Juan 

6,000 

745 

.12 

( Aguadores  

2,400 

62 

.02 

IN  THE  SPANISH-AHERICAN  WAR 


313 


General  Lawton,  with  the  Second  Massachu- 
setts and  the  Eighth  and  Twenty-second  U.  S. 
Infantry,  came  next.  Then  General  Duffield's 
command,  comprising  the  volunteers  from 
Michigan  (Thirty-third  and  Third  Regiments), 
and  the  Ninth  Massachusetts,  stretched  along 
until  General  Ludlow’s  men  were  reached. 
These  comprised  the  First  Illinois,  First  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  Eighth  Ohio,  running  up  to 
the  Eighth  and  Twenty-second  Regulars  and 
the  Bay  State  men.  Down  by  the  shore  across 
from  Morro  and  a little  way  inland  Generals 
Henry  and  Garretson  had  posted  the  Sixth  Illi- 
nois and  the  crack  Sixth  Massachusetts,  flank- 
ing the  railroad  line  to  Cobre. 


SCENES  OF  THE  FINAL  SURRENDER. 

When  reveille  sounded  Sunday  morning  half 
the  great  semilunar  camp  was  awake  and  eager 
for  the  triumphal  entrance  into  the  city.  Specu- 
lation ran  rife  as  to  which  detachment  would 
accompany  the  General  and  his  staff  into  San- 
tiago. The  choice  fell  upon  the  Ninth  Infantry. 
Shortly  before  9 o’clock  General  Shafter  left 
his  headquarters,  accompanied  by  Generals 
Lawton  and  Wheeler,  Colonels  Ludlow,  Ames 
and  Kent,  and  eighty  other  officers.  The  party 
walked  slowly  down  the  hill  to  the  road  leading 
to  Santiago,  along  which  they  advanced  until 
they  reached  the  now  famous  tree  outside  the 


314 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


walls,  under  which  all  negotiations  for  the  sur- 
render of  the  city  had  taken  place.  As  they 
reached  this  spot  the  cannon  on  every  hillside 
and  in  the  city  itself  boomed  forth  a salute  of 
twenty-one  guns,  which  was  echoed  at  Siboney 
and  Aserradero. 

The  soldiers  knew  what  the  salute  meant,  and 
cheer  upon  cheer  arose  and  ran  from  end  to 
end  of  the  eight  miles  of  the  American  lines. 
A troop  of  colored  cavalry  and  the  Twenty-fifth 
Colored  Infantry  then  started  to  join  General 
Shafter  and  his  party. 

The  Americans  waited  under  the  tree  as 
usual,  when  General  Shafter  sent  word  to  Gen- 
eral Toral  that  he  was  ready  to  take  possession 
of  the  town.  General  Toral,  in  full  uniform,  ac- 
companied by  his  whole  staff,  fully  caparisoned, 
shortly  afterward  left  the  city  and  walked  to 
where  the  American  officers  were  waiting  their 
coming.  When  they  reached  the  tree  General 
Shafter  and  General  Toral  saluted  each  other 
gravely  and  courteously.  Salutes  were  also  ex- 
changed by  other  American  and  Spanish  offi- 
cers. The  officers  were  then  introduced  to  each 
other.  After  this  little  ceremony  the  two  com- 
manding generals  faced  each  other  and  General 
Toral,  speaking  in  Spanish,  said: 

“Through  fate  I am  forced  to  surrender  to 
General  Shafter,  of  the  American  Army,  the  city 
and  the  strongholds  of  Santiago.” 

General  Torahs  voice  grew  husky  as  he  spoke. 


IN  THE  SPANI8H-AMERICAN  WAR 


315 


giving  up  the  town  and  the  surrounding  country 
to  his  victorious  enemy.  As  he  finished  speak- 
ing the  Spanish  officers  presented  arms. 

General  Shafter,  in  reply,  said: 

“I  receive  the  city  in  the  name  of  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States.” 

General  Toral  addressed  an  order  to  his 
officers  in  Spanish  and  they  wheeled  about,  still 
presenting  arms,  and  General  Shafter  and  the 
other  American  officers,  with  the  cavalry  and 
infantry,  followed  them,  walked  by  the  Span- 
iards and  proceeded  into  the  city  proper. 

The  soldiers  on  the  American  line  could  see 
quite  plainly  all  the  proceedings.  As  their  com- 
mander entered  the  city  they  gave  voice  to  cheer 
after  cheer. 

Although  no  attempt  was  made  to  humiliate 
them,  the  Spanish  soldiers  seemed  at  first  to 
feel  downcast  and  scarcely  glanced  at  their  con- 
querors as  they  passed  by,  but  this  apparent 
depth  of  feeling  was  not  displayed  very  long. 
Without  being  sullen  they  appeared  to  be  ut- 
terly indifferent  to  the  reverses  of  the  Spanish 
arms,  but  it  was  not  long  ere  the  prospect  of 
regulation  rations  and  a chance  to  go  to  their 
homes  made  them  almost  cheerful.  All  about 
the  filthy  streets  of  the  city  the  starving  refu- 
gees could  be  seen,  gaunt,  hollow-eyed,  weak 
and  trembling. 

The  squalor  in  the  streets  was  dreadful.  The 
bones  of  dead  horses  and  other  animals  were 


316 


HISTORY  OF  THE  "NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


bleaching  in  the  streets  and  buzzards  almost  as 
tame  as  sparrows  hopped  aside  as  passers-by 
disturbed  them.  There  was  a fetid  smell  every- 
where and  evidences  of  a pitiless  siege  and 
starvation  on  every  hand. 

The  palace  was  reached  soon  after  10  o’clock. 
Then  General  Toral  introduced  General  Shafter 
and  the  other  officials  to  various  local  digni- 
taries and  a scanty  luncheon  was  brought. 
Coffee,  rice,  wine  and  toasted  cake  were  the 
main  condiments. 

Then  came  the  stirring  scene  in  the  balcony 
which  every  one  felt  was  destined  to  become 
notably  historic  in  our  annals  of  warfare,  and 
the  ceremony  over,  General  Shafter  withdrew 
to  our  own  lines  and  left  the  city  to  General 
McKibbin  and  his  police  force  of  guards  and 
sentries.  The  end  had  come.  Spain’s  haughty 
ensign  trailed  in  the  dust;  Old  Glory,  typifying 
liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness  untram- 
melled floated  over  the  official  buildings  from 
Fort  Morro  to  the  Plaza  de  Armas — the  invest- 
ment of  Santiago  de  Cuba  was  accomplished. 


IN  THE  SPANlisH-AMERIGAN  WAR 


317 


General  Russell  A.  Alger,  Secretary  of  War. 


318 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


CHAPTER  VI. 

NO  COLOR  LINE  DRAWN  IN  CUBA. 

A'  GRAPHIC  DESCRIPTION— CONDITIONS  IN  THE  PEARL  OF 

THE  ANTILLES— AMERICAN  PREJUDICE  CANNOT  EXIST 
THERE— A CATHOLIC  PRIEST  VOUCHES  FOR  THE 
ACCURACY  OF  STATEMENT. 

The  article  we  reprint  from  the  “New  York 
Sun”  touching  the  status  of  the  Colored  man  in 
Cuba  was  shown  to  Rev.  Father  Walter  R. 
Yates,  assistant  pastor  of  St.  Joseph’s  Colored 
Church. 

A “Planet”  reporter  was  informed  that  Father 
Yates  had  resided  in  that  climate  for  several 
years  and  wished  his  views. 

“The  ‘Sun’  correspondent  is  substantially  cor- 
rect,” said  the  reverend  gentleman.  “Of  course, 
the  article  is  very  incomplete,  there  are  many 
omissions,  but  that  is  to  be  expected  in  a news- 
paper article. 

“It  would  take  volumes  to  describe  the 
achievements  of  men  of  the  Negro,  or  as  I pre- 
fer to  call  it,  the  Aethiopic  race,  not  only  in 
Cuba,  but  in  all  the  West  Indies,  Central  and 
South  America,  and  in  Europe,  especially  in 
Sicily,  Spain  and  France. 

“By  achievements  I mean  success  in  military, 
political,  social,  religious  and  literary  walks  of 
life.  The  only  thing  I see  to  correct  in  the 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


319 


‘Sun’s’  article,”  continued  the  Father,  “is  in 
regard  to  population.  A Spanish  official  told 
me  that  the  census  figures  were  notoriously  mis- 
leading. The  census  shows  less  than  one-third 
colored.  That  is  said  not  to  be  true.  As  soon 
as  a man  with  African  blood,  whether  light  or 
dark,  acquires  property  and  education,  he  re- 
turns himself  in  the  census  as  white.  The  offi- 
cials humor  them  in  this  petty  vanity.  In  fact, 
it's  the  most  difficult  thing  in  the  world  to  dis- 
tinguish between  races  in  Cuba.  Many  Span- 
iards from  Murcia,  for  instance,  of  undoubted 
noble  lineage,  are  darker  than  Richmond  mu- 
latoes.” 

“May  I ask  you,  Father  Yates,  to  what  do 
vou  ascribe  the  absence  of  race  prejudice  in 
Cuba?” 

“Certainly.  In  my  humble  opinion  it  is  due 
to  Church  influence.  We  all  know  the  effect  on 
our  social  life  of  our  churches.  Among  Cath- 
olics all  men  have  always  been  on  equal  footing 
at  the  Communion  rail.  Catholics  would  be 
unworthy  of  their  name,  i.  e.,  Catholic  or  uni- 
versal, were  it  not  so. 

“Even  in  the  days  when  slavery  was  practised 
this  religious  equality  and  fellowship  was  fully 
recognized  among  Catholics. 

“Did  you  know  there  is  an  American  Negro 
saint?  He  was  born  in  Colon,  Central  America, 
and  is  called  Blessed  Martin  De  Porres.  His 
name  is  much  honored  in  Cuba,  Peru,  Mexico 


320 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


and  elsewhere.  He  wore  the  white  habit  of  a 
Dominican  Brother.  The  Dominicans  are  called 
the  Order  of  Preachers. 

“Christ  Died  for  All.  Father  Donovan  has 
those  words  painted  in  large  letters  over  the 
Sanctuary  in  St.  J-oseph's  Church.  It  is  simply 
horrible  to  think  that  some  self-styled  Christian 
sectarians  act  as  if  Christ  died  for  white  men 
only.” 

Matanzas,  Cuba,  January  20. — Not  least 
among  the  problems  of  reconstruction  in  Cuba 
is  the  social  and  political  status  of  the  colored 
“man  and  brother.”  In  Cuba  the  shade  of  a 
man’s  complexion  has  never  been  greatly  con- 
sidered, and  one  finds  dusky  Othellos  in  every 
walk  of  life.  The  present  dispute  arose  when  a 
restaurant  keeper  from  Alabama  refused  a seat 
at  his  public  table  to  the  mulatto  Colonel  of  a 
Cuban  regiment.  The  Southerner  was  perfectly 
sincere  in  the  declaration  that  he  would  see  him- 
self in  a warmer  climate  than  Cuba  before  he 
would  insult  his  American  guests  “by  seating  a 
‘nigger’  among  them!”  To  the  Colonel  it  was 
a novel  and  astonishing  experience,  and  is,  of 
course,  deeply  resented  by  all  his  kind  in  Cuba, 
where  African  blood  may  be  found,  in  greater 
or  less  degree,  in  some  of  the  richest  and  most 
influential  families  of  the  Island. 

COLORED  BELLES  THERE. 

In  Havana  you  need  not  be  surprised  to  see 
Creole  belles  on  the  fashionable  Prado — perhaps 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


321 


Cuban-Spanish.  Cuban-English  or  Cuban-Ger- 
man blondes — promenading  with  NTegro  officers 
in  gorgeous  uniforms ; or  octoroon  beauties  with 
hair  in  natural  crimp,  riding  in  carriages  beside 
white  husbands  or  lighting  up  an  opera  box 
with  the  splendor  of  their  diamonds.  There 
was  a wedding  in  the  old  cathedral  the  other 
day,  attended  by  the  elite  of  the  city,  the  bride 
being  the  lovely  young  daughter  of  a Cuban 
planter,  the  groom  a burly  Negro.  Nobody  to 
the  manor  born  has  ever  dreamed  of  objecting 
to  this  mingling  of  colors ; therefore,  when  some 
newly  arrived  foreigner  declares  that  nobody 
but  those  of  his  own  complexion  shall  eat  in  a 
public  dining-room,  there  is  likely  to  be  trouble. 

THE  WAR  BEGAN. 

When  the  war  began  the  population  of  Cuba 
was  a little  more  than  one-third  black;  now  the 
proportion  is  officially  reckoned  as  525,684  col- 
ored, against  1,631,600  white.  In  1898  two 
Negroes  were  serving  as  secretaries  in  the  Au- 
tonomist Cabinet.  The  last  regiment  that 
Blanco  formed  was  of  Negro  volunteers,  to 
whom  he  paid — or,  rather,  promised  to  pay, 
which  is  quite  another  matter,  considering 
Blanco’s  habit — the  unusual  hire  of  $20  a month, 
showing  his  appreciation  of  the  colored  man  as 
a soldier.  If  General  Weyler  evinced  any  par- 
tiality in  Cuba,  it  was  for  the  black  Creole. 
During  the  ten  years’  war,  his  cavalry  es- 
cort was  composed  entirely  of  colored  men. 


322 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


Throughout  his  latest  reign  in  the  Island  he 
kept  black  soldiers  constantly  on  guard  at  the 
gates  of  the  government  palace.  While  the 
illustrated  papers  of  Spain  were  caricaturing 
the  insurgents  as  coal-black  demons  with  horns 
and  forked  toe  nails,  burning  canefields  and 
butchering  innocent  Spaniards,  the  Spanish 
General  chose  them  for  his  bodyguards. 

ONE  OF  THE  GREATEST  GENERALS. 

One  of  the  greatest  Generals  of  the  day,  con- 
sidering the  environment,  was  Antonio  Maceo, 
the  Cuban  mulatto  hero,  who,  for  two  years, 
kept  the  Spanish  army  at  bay  or  led  them  a 
lively  quickstep  through  the  western  provinces 
to  the  very  gates  of  Havana.  As  swift  on  the 
march  as  Sheridan  or  Stonewall  Jackson,  as 
wary  and  prudent  as  Grant  himself,  he  had  in- 
spirations of  military  genius  whenever  a crisis 
arose.  It  is  not  generally  known  that  Martinez 
Campos,  who  owed  his  final  defeat  at  Calisea  to 
Maceo,  was  a second  cousin  of  this  black  man. 
Maceo’s  mother,  whose  family  name  was 
Grinan,  came  from  the  town  of  Mayari  where 
all  the  people  have  Indian  blood  in  their  veins. 
Col.  Martinez  del  Campos,  father  of  General 
Martinez  Campos,  was  once  Military  Governor 
of  Mayari.  While  there  he  loved  a beautiful 
girl  of  Indian  and  Negro  blood,  who  belonged 
to  the  Grinan  family,  and  was  first  cousin  to 
Maceo’s  mother.  Martinez  Campos,  Jr.,  the 


IK  THE  SPAKISH-AHERICAN  WAR 


323 


Cuban  Women  Cavalry. 


324 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


future  General  and  child  of  the  Indian  girl,  was 
born  in  Mayari.  The  Governor  could  not  marry 
his  sweetheart,  having  a wife  and  children  in 
Spain,  but  when  he  returned  to  the  mother 
country  he  took  the  boy  along.  According  to 
Spanish  law,  the  town  in  which  one  is  baptized 
is  recognized  as  his  legal  birthplace,  so  it  was 
easy  enough  to  legitimatize  the  infant  Campos. 
He  grew  up  in  Spain,  and  when  sent  to  Cuba  as 
Captain-General,  to  his  everlasting  credit  be  it 
said,  one  of  his  first  acts  was  to  hunt  up  his 
mother.  Having'  found  her,  old  and  poor,  he 
bought  a fine  house  in  Campo  Florida,  the  aris- 
tocratic suburb  of  Havana,  established  her  there 
and  cared  for  her  tenderly  till  she  died.  The 
cousins,  though  on  opposite  sides  of  the  war,  be- 
friended each  other  in  many  instances,  and  it 
is  said  that  more  than  once  Captain-General 
Campos  owed  his  life  to  his  unacknowledged 
relative. 

HIS  BROTHER  CAPTURED. 

The  latter’s  half-brother,  Jose  Maceo,  was 
captured  early  in  the  war  and  sent  to  the  Afri- 
can prison  Ceuta,  whence  he  escaped  later  on 
with  Quintin  Bandera  and  others  of  his  staff. 
The  last  named  Negro  Colonel  is  to-day  a 
prominent  figure.  “Quintin  Bandera”  means 
“fifteen  flags,”  and  the  appellation  was  bestowed 
upon  him  by  his  grateful  countrymen  after  he 
had  captured  fifteen  Spanish  ensigns.  Every- 
body seems  to  have  forgotten  his  real  name, 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AME  RICAN  WAR 


325 


and  Quintin  Bandera  he  will  remain  in  history. 
While  in  the  African  penal  settlement  the 
daughter  of  a Spanish  officer  fell  in  love  with 
him.  She  assisted  in  his  escape  and  fled  with 
him  to  Gibraltar.  There  he  married  his  rescuer. 
She  is  of  Spanish  and  Moorish  descent,  and  is 
said  to  be  a lady  of  education  and  refinement. 
She  taught  her  husband  to  read  and  write  and 
feels  unbounded  pride  in  his  achievements. 

The  noted  General  Jesus  Rabi,  of  the  Cuban 
Army,  is  of  the  same  mixed  blood  as  the 
Maceos.  Another  well-known  Negro  com- 
mander was  General  Flor  Crombet,  whose  patri- 
otic deeds  have  been  dimmed  by  his  atrocious 
cruelties.  Among  all  the  officers  swarming 
Havana  none  attracts  more  admiring  atten- 
tion than  General  Ducasse,  a tall,  fine-looking 
mulatto,  who  was  educated  at  the  fine  military 
school  of  St.  Cyr.  He  is  of  extremely  polished 
manners  and  undeniable  force  of  character,  can 
make  a brilliant  address  and  has  great  influence 
among  the  masses.  To  eject  such  a man  as  he 
from  a third-rate  foreign  restaurant  in  his  own 
land  would  be  ridiculous.  His  equally  cele- 
brated brother,  Col.  Juan  Ducasse,  was  killed 
in  the  Pinar  del  Rio  insurrection. 

COLORED  MEN’S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 

Besides  these  sons  of  Mars,  Cuba  has  con- 
sidered her  history  enriched  by  the  achievements 
of  colored  men  in  peaceful  walks  of  life.  The 


326  HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 

memory  of  Gabriel  Concepcion  de  la  Valdez,  the 
mulatto  poet,  is  cherished  as  that  of  a saint. 
He  was  accused  by  the  Spanish  government  of 
complicity  in  the  slave  insurrection  of  1844,  and 
condemned  to  be  shot  in  his  native  town,  Matan- 
zas.  One  bright  morning-  in  May  he  stood  by 
the  old  statue  of  Ferdinand  VII.  in  the  Plaza 
d’Armas,  calmly  facing  a row  of  muskets,  along 
whose  shining  barrels  the  sun  glinted.  The 
first  volley  failed  to  touch  a vital  spot.  Bleed- 
ing Torn  several  wounds,  he  still  stood  erect, 
and,  pointing  to  his  heart,  said  in  a clear  voice, 
“Aim  here!”  Another  mulatto  author,  educator 
and  profound  thinker  was  Antonio  Medina,  a 
priest  and  professor  of  San  Basilio  the  Greater. 
He  acquired  wide  reputation  as  a poet,  novelist 
and  ecclesiastic,  both  in  Spain  and  Cuba,  and 
was  selected  by  the  Spanish  Academy  to  deliver 
the  oration  on  the  anniversary  of  Cervantes’ 
death  in  Madrid.  His  favorite  Cuban  pupil  was 
Juan  Gaulberto  Gomez,  the  mulatto  journalist, 
who  has  been  imprisoned  time  and  again  for 
offences  against  the  Spanish  press  laws.  Senor 
Gomez,  whose  home  is  in  Matanzas,  is  now  on 
the  shady  side  of  40,  a spectacled  and  scholarly- 
looking  man.  After  the  peace  of  Zanjon  he  col- 
laborated in  the  periodicals  published  by  the 
Marquis  of  Sterling.  In  1879  he  founded  in 
Havana  the  newspaper  “La  Fraternidad,”  de- 
voted to  the  interest  of  the  colored  race.  For 
a certain  fiery  editorial  he  was  deported  to  Ceuta 


IN  THE  SPANISH- AMERICAN  WAR 


327 


and  kept  there  two  years.  Then  he  went  to 
Madrid  and  assumed  the  management  of  “La 
Tribuna, ” and  in  1890  returned  to  Havana  and 
resumed  the  publication  of  “La  Fraternidad.” 

ANOTHER  EXILE. 

Another  beloved  exile  from  the  land  of  his 
birth  is  Senor  Jose  White.  His  mother  was  a 
colored  woman  of  Matanzas.  At  the  age  of  16 
years  Jose  wrote  a mass  for  the  Matanzas  or- 
chestra and  gave  his  first  concert.  With  the 
proceeds  he  entered  the  Conservatory  of  Paris, 
and  in  the  following  year  won  the  first  prize  as 
violinist  among  thirty-nine  contestants.  He 
soon  gained  an  enviable  reputation  among  the 
most  celebrated  European  violinists,  and,  cov- 
ered with  honors,  returned  to  Havana  in  Janu- 
ary of  1875.  But  his  songs  were  sometimes  of 
liberty,  and  in  June  of  the  same  year  the  Span- 
ish government  drove  him  out  of  the  country. 
Then  he  went  to  Brazil,  and  was  President  of 
the  Conservatory  of  Music  of  Rio  Janeiro. 

One  might  go  on  multiplying  similar  inci- 
dents. Some  of  the  most  eminent  doctors,  law- 
yers and  college  professors  in  Cuba  are  more 
or  less  darkly  “colored.”  In  the  humble  walks 
of  life  one  finds  them  everywhere,  as  carpenters, 
masons,  shoemakers  and  plumbers.  In  the  few 
manufacturies  of  Cuba  a large  proportion  of 
the  workmen  are  Negroes,  especially  in  the  cigar 
factories.  In  the  tanneries  of  Pinar  del  Rio 


328 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


most  of  the  workmen  are  colored,  also  in  the 
saddle  factories  of  Havana,  Guanabacoa,  Car- 
denas and  other  places.  Although  the  insur- 
gent army  is  not  yet  disbanded,  the  sugar-plan- 
ters get  plenty  of  help  from  their  ranks  by  offer- 
ing fair  wages. — “New  York  Sun.” 


FACTS  ABOUT  PORTO  RICO  TOLD  IN 
SHORT  PARAGRAPHS. 

Porto  Rico,  the  beautiful  island  which  Gen- 
eral Miles  took  under  the  American  flag,  has  an 
area  of  3,530  square  miles.  It  is  107  miles  in 
length  and  37  miles  across.  It  has  a good 
telegraph  line  and  a railroad  only  partially 
completed. 

The  population,  which  is  not  made  up  of  so 
many  Negroes  and  mulattoes  as  that  of  the 
neighboring  islands,  is  about  900,000.  Almost 
all  of  the  inhabitants  are  Roman  Catholics. 

It  is  a mountainous  island,  and  contains  forty- 
seven  navigable  streams.  The  roads  are  merely 
paths  beaten  down  by  cattle. 

Exports  in  1887  were  valued  at  $10,181,291 ; 
imports,  $10,198,006. 

Gold,  copper,  salt,  coal  and  iron  abound. 

The  poorer  classes  live  almost  entirely  on  a 
variety  of  highland  rice,  which  is  easily  culti- 
vated, as  it  requires  no  flooding'. 

One  of  the  principal  industries  is  grazing. 
St.  Thomas  is  the  market  for  fresh  meat. 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


329 


Corn,  tobacco,  sugar,  coffee,  cotton  and  pota- 
toes constitute  the  principal  crops. 

There  are  no  snakes,  no  beasts  of  prey,  no 
noxious  birds  nor  insects  in  the  island. 

The  trees  and  grass  are  always  green. 

Rats  are  the  great  foe  of  the  crops. 

The  natives  often  live  to  be  one  hundred  years 
old. 

The  most  beautiful  flower  on  the  island  is  the 
ortegon,  which  has  purple  blossoms  a yard  long. 

Hurricanes  are  frequent  on  the  north  coast 
and  very  destructive. 

Mosquitoes  are  the  pest  of  the  island. 

Spanish  is  the  language  spoken,  and  educa- 
tion is  but  little  esteemed. 

Every  man,  no  matter  how  poor,  owns  a horse 
and  three  or  four  gamecocks. 

The  small  planter  is  called  “Xivaro.”  He  is 
the  proud  possessor  of  a sweetheart,  a game- 
cock, a horse,  a hammock,  a guitar  and  a large 
supply  of  tobacco.  He  is  quick-tempered  but 
not  revengeful. 

Hospitality  is  the  rule  of  the  island.  The 
peasants  are  astonished  and  hurt  when  offered 
money  by  travellers.  San  Juan  Harbor  is  one 
of  the  best  in  the  West  Indies,  and  is  said  to  be 
the  third  most  strongly  fortified  town  in  the 
world,  Halifax  being  the  strongest  and  Carta- 
gena, Spain,  the  second. 

Ponce  de  Leon,  between  1509  and  1518,  killed 
off  the  natives. 


330 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


The  De  Leon  palace,  built  in  1511,  is  of  great 
interest  to  tourists. 

The  climate  is  warm  but  pleasant.  At  night 
thick  clothing  is  found  comfortable. 

All  visiting  and  shopping  are  done  after  sun- 
down. 

Slavery  was  abolished  in  1873. 

The  women  are  rather  small  and  delicately 
formed.  Many  of  them  are  considered  very 
pretty. 

Men  and  women  ride  horseback  alike. 
Wicker  baskets  to  carry  clothes  or  provisions 
are  hung  on  either  side  of  the  horse’s  shoulders. 
Back  of  these  baskets  the  rider  sits. 

It  is  the  custom  of  travellers  on  horseback  to 
carry  a basket-handled  sword  a yard  and  a 
quarter  long,  more  as  an  ornament  than  as  a 
means  of  defense. 

The  observance  of  birthdays  is  an  island 
fashion  that  is  followed  by  every  one. 

Upon  the  Rio  Grande  are  prehistoric  monu- 
ments that  have  attracted  the  attention  of 
archaeologists. 

In  the  towns  houses  are  built  with  flat  roofs, 
both  to  catch  water  and  to  afford  the  family  a 
small  roof  garden. 

All  planters  have  town  houses  where  they 
bring  their  families  during  the  carnival  season. 


IN  TEE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


331 


irge  size  photo  of  above  picture  can  be  had  on  application  to  P.  H.  Bauer,  Photographer,  Leavenworth,  Kansas. 


332 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


CHAPTER  VII. 

LIST  OF  COLORED  REGIMENTS  THAT 

DID  ACTIVE  SERVICE  IN  THE 
SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR, 

AND  VOLUNTEER 
REGIMENTS. 

Regulars. — Section  1104  of  the  Revised 
Statutes  of  the  Lhiited  States  Cong'ress  provides 
that  “the  enlisted  men  of  two  regiments  of 
Cavalry  shall  be  colored  men,”  and  in  com- 
pliance with  this  section  the  War  Department 
maintains  the  organization  of  the  Ninth  and 
Tenth  Cavalry,  both  composed  of  colored  men 
with  white  officers. 

Section  1108  of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  Con- 
gress provides  that  “the  enlisted  men  of  two 
regiments  of  Infantry  shall  be  colored  men”; 
and  in  compliance  with  this  section  the  War 
Department  maintains  the  organization  of  the 
Twenty-fourth  and  Twenty-fifth  Infantry,  both 
composed  of  colored  men  with  white  officers. 

The  above  regiments  were  the  only  colored 
troops  that  were  engaged  in  active  service  in 
Cuba.  There  is  no  statute  requiring  colored 
artillery  regiments  to  be  organized,  and  there 
are,  therefore,  none  in  the  regular  army. 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


333 


A LIST  OF  THE  VOLUNTEER  REGI- 
MENTS. 

Third  North  Carolina — All  colored  officers. 

Sixth  Virginia — White  officers,  finally,  the 
colored  officers  resigned  “under  pressure,”  after 
which  there  was  much  trouble  with  the  men,  as 
they  claimed  to  have  enlisted  with  the  under- 
standing that  they  were  to  have  colored  officers. 

Ninth  Ohio — All  colored  officers;  Col.  Chas. 
Young,  graduate  of  West  Point. 

Twenty-third  Kansas — Colored  officers. 

Eighth  Illinois — Under  colored  officers,  and 
did  police  duty  at  San  Luis,  Cuba. 

Seventh  U.  S.  Volunteers. 

Tenth  U.  S.  Volunteers. 

Eighth  U.  S.  Volunteers. 

Ninth  U.  S.  Volunteers. 

The  conduct  of  the  colored  volunteers  has 
been  harshly  criticized,  and  it  is  thought  by 
some  that  the  conduct  of  the  volunteers  has 
had  some  influence  in  derogation  of  the  good 
record  made  by  the  regulars  around  Santiago. 
This  view,  however,  we  think  unjust  and  ill- 
founded.  There  was  considerable  shooting  of 
pistols  and  drunkenness  among  some  regiments 
of  volunteers,  and  it  was  not  confined  by  any 
means  to  those  of  the  colored  race.  The  white 
volunteers  were  as  drunk  and  noisy  as  the  col- 
ored, and  shot  as  many  pistols. 

The  “Charlotte  Observer”  had  the  following 


334 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


editorial  concerning  some  white  troops  that 
passed  through  Charlotte,  N.  C. : 

“Mustered-out  West  Virginia  and  New  York 
volunteer  soldiers,  who  pa-ssed  through  this  city 
Saturday  night,  behaved  on  the  train  and  here 
like  barbarians,  disgracing  their  uniforms,  their 
States  and  themselves.  They  were  drunk  and 
disorderly,  and  their  firing  of  pistols,  destruc- 
tion of  property  and  theft  of  edibles  was  not  as 
bad  as  their  outrageous  profanity  and  obscenity 
on  the  cars  in  the  hearing  of  ladies.  Clearly 
they  are  brutes  when  sober  and  whiskey  only 
developed  the  vileness  already  in  them.” 

By  a careful  comparison  of  the  reports  in 
the  newspapers,  we  see  a slight  excess  of  row- 
dyism on  the  part  of  the  whites,  but  much  less 
fuss  made  about  it.  In  traveling  from  place  to 
place,  if  a white  volunteer  company  fired  a few 
shots  in  the  air,  robbed  a fruit  stand,  or  fussed 
with  the  bystanders  at  railroad  stations,  or 
drank  whiskey  at  the  car  windows,  the  fact  was 
simply  mentioned  in  the  morning  papers,  but  if 
a Negro  company  fired  a pistol  a telegram  was 
sent  ahead  to  have  mobs  in  readiness  to  “do  up 
the  niggers”  at  the  next  station,  and  at  one 
place  in  Georgia  the  militia  was  called  out  by  a 
telegram  sent  ahead,  and  discharged  a volley 
into  the  car  containing  white  officers  and  their 
families,  so  eager  were  they  to  “do  up  the  nig- 
ger.” At  Nashville  the  city  police  are  reported 
to  have  charged  through  the  train  clubbing  the 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


335 


Officers  of  the  Ninth  Ohio — Lieutenant  Young  in  the  Center. 


336 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


colored  volunteers  who  were  returning  home, 
and  taking  anything  in  the  shape  of  a weapon 
away  from  them  by  force.  In  Texarcana  or 
thereabouts  it  was  reported  that  a train  of  col- 
ored troopers  was  blown  up  by  dynamite.  The 
Southern  mobs  seemed  to  pride  themselves  in 
assaulting  the  colored  soldiers. 

While  the  colored  volunteers  were  not  en- 
gaged in  active  warfare,  yet  they  attained  a high 
degree  of  discipline,  and  the  CLEANEST  AND 
MOST  ORDERLY  CAMP  among  any  of  the 
volunteers  was  reported  by  the  chief  sanitary 
officer  of  the  government  to  be  that  of  one  of 
the  colored  volunteer  regiments  stationed  in 
Virginia.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  colored 
volunteers,  especially  those  under  Negro  officers, 
did  not  have  an  opportunity  to  show  their  pow- 
ers on  the  battlefield,  and  thus  demonstrate  their 
ability  as  soldiers,  and  so  refreshing  the  memory 
of  the  nation  as  to  what  Negro  soldiers  once 
did  at  Fort  Wagner  and  Milikin’s  Bend.  The 
volunteer  boys  were  ready  and  willing  and  only 
needed  a chance  to  show  what  they  could  do. 

POLICED  BY  NEGROES. 

WHITE  IMMUNES  ORDERED  OUT  OF  SANTIAGO,  AND  A 
COLORED  REGIMENT  PLACED  IN  CHARGE. 

Washington,  D.  C.,  August  17,  1898. 

Editor  “Colored  American” : — The  “Star”  of 
this  city  published  the  following  dispatch  in  its 
issue  of  the  16th  inst.  The  “Washington  Post” 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERIGAN  WAR  337 

next  morning  published  the  same  dispatch, 
omitting  the  last  paragraph,  and  yet  the  “Post” 
claims  to  publish  the  news,  whether  pleasing  or 
otherwise.  The  selection  of  the  Eighth  Illinois 
Colored  Regiment  for  this  important  duty,  to 
replace  a disorderly  white  regiment,  is  a suffi- 
cient refutation  of  a recent  editorial  in  the 
“Post,”  discrediting  colored  troops  with  colored 
officers.  The  Eighth  Illinois  is  a colored  regi- 
ment from  Colonel  down.  The  Generals  at  the 
front  know  the  value  of  Negro  troops,  whether 
the  quill-drivers  in  the  rear  do  or  not. 

CHARLES  R.  DOUGLASS. 

Following  is  the  dispatch  referred  to  by 
Major  Douglass.  The  headlines  of  the  “Star” 
are  retained. 

IMMUNES  MADE  TROUBLE— GENERAL  SHAFTER  ORDERS  THE 
SECOND  REGIMENT  OUTSIDE  THE  CITY  OF  SANTIAGO- 
COLORED  TROOPS  FROM  ILLINOIS  ASSIGNED  TO  THE 
DUTY  OF  PRESERVING  ORDER  AND  PROPERTY. 

Santiago  de  Cuba,  Aug.  16. — General  Shafter 
to-day  ordered  the  Second  Volunteer  Regiment 
of  Immunes  to  leave  the  city  and  go  into  camp 
outside. 

The  regiment  had  been  placed  here  as  a 
garrison,  to  preserve  order  and  protect  prop- 
erty. There  has  been  firing  of  arms  inside  of 
the  town  by  members  of  this  regiment,  without 
orders,  so  far  as  known.  Some  of  the  men  have 
indulged  in  liquor  until  they  have  verged  upon 
acts  of  license  and  disorder.  The  inhabitants  in 


338 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


some  quarters  have  alleged  loss  of  property  by 
force  and  intimidation,  and  there  has  grown  up 
a feeling  of  uneasiness,  if  not  alarm,  concerning 
them.  General  Shafter  has,  therefore,  ordered 
this  regiment  into  the  hills,  where  discipline  can 
be  more  severely  maintained. 

In  place  of  the  Second  Volunteer  Immune 
Regiment,  General  Shafter  has  ordered  into  the 
city  the  Eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Regiment  of 
colored  troops,  in  whose  sobriety  and  discipline 
he  has  confidence,  and  of  whose  sturdy  enforce- 
ment of  order  no  doubt  is  felt  by  those  in  com- 
mand. 


SKETCH  OF  SIXTH  VIRGINIA  VOLUN- 
TEERS. 

The  Sixth  Virginia  Volunteer  Infantry, 
U.  S.  V.,  consisted  of  two  battalions,  first  and 
second  Battalion  Infantry  Virginia  Volunteers 
(State  militia),  commanded  respectively  by 
Maj.  J.  B.  Johnson  and  Maj.  W.  H.  Johnson. 
In  April,  1898,  the  war  cloud  was  hanging  over 
the  land.  Governor  J.  Hoge  Tyler,  of  Virginia, 
under  instructions  from  the  War  Department, 
sent  to  all  Virginia  volunteers,  inquiring  how 
many  men  in  the  respective  commands  were 
willing  to  enlist  in  the  United  States  volunteer 
service  in  the  war  against  Spain. 

How  many  would  go  in  or  out  of  the  United 
States? 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERIGAN  WAR 


339 


Major  John  R.  Lynch,  Paymaster  in  U.  S.  Army. 


340 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


COMMONWEALTH  OF  VIRGINIA. 

Adjutant-General’s  Office, 
Richmond,  Va.,  April  19th,  1898. 

General  Order  No.  8. 

I.  Commanding  officers  of  companies  of  Vir- 
ginia Volunteers  will,  immediately  upon  the 
receipt  by  them  of  this  order,  assemble  their 
respective  companies  and  proceed  to  ascertain 
and  report  direct  to  this  office,  upon  the  form 
herewith  sent  and  by  letter,  what  officers  and 
enlisted  men  of  their  companies  will  volunteer 
for  service  in  and  with  the  volunteer  forces  of 
the  United  States  (not  in  the  regular  army) 
with  the  distinct  understanding  that  such  vol- 
unteer forces,  or  any  portion  thereof,  may  be 
ordered  and  required  to  perform  service  either 
in  or  out  of  the  United  States,  and  that  such 
officer  or  enlisted  man,  so  volunteering,  agre-es 
and  binds  himself  to,  without  question,  promptly 
obey  all  orders  emanating  from  the  proper  offi- 
cers, and  to  render  such  service  as  he  may  be 
required  to  perform,  either  within  or  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  United  States. 

II.  The  Brigade  Commander  and  the  Regi- 
mental and  Battalion  Commanders  will,  with- 
out delay,  obtain  like  information  and  make, 
direct  to  this  office,  similar  reports,  to  those 
above  required,  with  regard  to  their  respective 
field,  staff  and  non-commissioned  staff  officers 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


341 


and  regimental  or  battalion  bands,  adopting  the 
form  herewith  sent  to  the  regiments. 

III.  By  reason  of  the  necessity  in  this  mat- 
ter, this  order  is  sent  direct,  with  copies  to  inter- 
mediate commanders. 

By  order  of  the  Governor  and  Commander-in- 
Chief. 


WM.  NALLE, 
Adjutant-General. 


The  companies  of  the  First  Battalion  of  Rich- 
mond and  Second  Battalion  of  Petersburg  and 
Norfolk  were  the  first  to  respond  to  the  call  and 
express  a readiness  to  go  anywhere  in  or  out  of 
the  States  with  their  own  officers,  and  upon 
these  conditions  they  were  immediately  ac- 
cepted, and  the  following  order  was  issued: 

COMMONWEALTH  OF  VIRGINIA. 

Adjutant-General’s  Office, 
Richmond,  Ya.,  April  23,  1898. 

General  Orders  No.  9. 

The  commanding  officers  of  such  companies 
as  will  volunteer  for  service  in  the  volunteer 
army  of  the  United  States  will  at  once  pro- 
ceed to  recruit  their  respective  companies  to  at 
least  eighty-four  enlisted  men.  Any  company 
volunteering  as  a body,  for  such  service,  will 
be  mustered  in  with  its  own  officers. 


342 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


By  order  of  the  Governor  and  Commander-in- 
Chief.  W.  NALLE, 

(Signed)  Adjutant-General. 

Under  date  of  June  1,  1898,  S.  O.  59,  A.  G.  O., 
Richmond,  Va.,  was  issued  directly  to  the  com- 
manding officers  of  the  First  and  Second  Bat- 
talion (colored),  who  had  been  specially  desig- 
nated by  the  President  in  his  call,  ordering  them 
to  take  the  necessary  steps, to  recruit  the  com- 
panies of  the  respective  battalions  to  eighty- 
four  men  per  company,  directing  that  care  be 
taken  to  accept  only  men  of  good  repute  and 
able-bodied,  and  that  as  soon  as  recruited  the 
fact  should  be  reported  by  telegraph  to  the 
Adjutant-General  of  the  State. 

July  15th,  1898,  Company  “A,”  Attucks 

Guard,  was  the  first  company  to  arrive  at  Camp 
Corbin,  Va.,  ten  miles  below  Richmond.  The 
company  had  three  officers:  Capt.  W.  A.  Haw- 
kins, First  Lieutenant  J.  C.  Smith,  Lieutenant 
John  Parham. 

The  other  companies  followed  in  rapid  suc- 
cession. Company  “B”  (Carney  Guard),  Capt. 
C.  B.  Nicholas;  First  Lieutenant  L.  J.  Wyche, 
Second  Lieutenant  J.  W.  Gilpin.  Company  “C” , 
(State  Guard),  Capt.  B.  A.  Graves;  First  Lieu- 
tenant S.  B.  Randolph,  Second  Lieutenant 
W.  H.  Anderson.  Company  “D”  (Langston 
Guard),  Capt.  E.  W.  Gould;  First  Lieutenant 
Chas.  H.  Robinson,  Second  Lieutenant  Geo.  W. 
Foreman.  Company  “E”  (Petersburg  Guard), 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AME RICAN  WAR 


343 


Major  R.  R.  Wright,  Paymaster  in  U.  S.  Army. 


344 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


Capt.  J.  E.  Hill;  First  Lieutenant  J.  H.  Hill, 
Second  Lieutenant  Fred  E.  Manggrum.  Com- 
pany “F”  (Petersburg),  Capt.  Pleasant  Webb; 
First  Lieutenant  Jno.  Iv.  Rice,  Second  Lieu- 
tenant Richard  Hill.  Company  “G,”  Capt.  J.  A. 
Stevens;  First  Lieutenant  E.  Thomas  Walker, 
Second  Lieutenant  David  Worrell.  Company 
“H,”  Capt.  Peter  Shepperd,  Jr.;  First  Lieu- 
tenant Jas.  M.  Collins,  Second  Lieutenant  Geo. 
T.  Wright.  The  regiment  consisted  of  only 
eight  companies,  two  battalions,  commanded 
respectively  by  Major  J.  B.  Johnson  and  Maj. 
W.  H.  Johnson,  commanded  by  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Richard  C.  Croxton,  of  the  First  United 
States  Infantry.  First  Lieutenant  Chas.  R. 
Alexander  was  Surgeon.  Second  Lieutenant 
Allen  J.  Black,  Assistant  Surgeon. 

Lieutenant  W.  H.  Anderson,  Company  “C,” 
was  detailed  as  Adjutant,  Ordinance  Officer  and 
Mustering  Officer. 

Lieutenant  J.  LI.  Gilpin,  Company  “B,”  was 
detailed  as  Quartermaster  and  Commissary  of 
Subsistence. 

On  Monday,  September  12,  1898,  the  com- 
mand left  Camp  Corbin,  Va.,  and  embarked  for 
Knoxville,  Tenn.,  about  10  o’clock,  the  men 
traveling  in  day  coaches  and  the  officers  in 
Pullman  sleepers.  The  train  was  in  two  sec- 
tions. Upon  arrival  at  Knoxville  the  command 
was  sent  to  Camp  Poland,  near  the  Fourteenth 
Michigan  Regiment,  who  were  soon  mustered 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


345 


out.  A few  days  after  the  arrival  of  the  Sixth 
Virginia  the  Third  North  Carolina  arrived,  a 
full  regiment  with  every  officer  a Negro.  While 
here,  in  order  to  get  to  the  city,  our  officers, 
wagons  and  men  had  to  pass  the  camp  of  the 
First  Georgia  Regiment,  and  it  was  quite  an- 
noying to  have  to  suffer  from  unnecessary 
delays  in  stores  and  other  things  to  which  the 
men  were  subject. 

After  the  review  by  General  Alger,  Secretary 
of  War,  the  Colonel  of  the  Sixth  Virginia  re- 
ceived permission  from  headquarters  of  Third 
Brigade,  Second  Division,  First  Army  Corps, 
General  Rosser  commanding,  to  move  the  camp 
to  a point  nearer  the  city,  which  was  granted. 
Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  Third  North  Caro- 
lina Regiment  the  First  Georgia  seemed  dis- 
posed to  attack  the  colored  soldiers,  so  on  a 
beautiful  September  evening  some  shots  were 
fired  into  their  camp  by  the  First  Georgia  men 
and  received  quick  response.  After  the  little 
affair  four  Georgians  were  missing.  The  mat- 
ter was  investigated  and  the  First  Georgia  was 
placed  under  arrest. 

After  the  removal  to  a new  portion  of  Camp 
Poland  orders  were  received  from  the  head- 
quarters First  Army  Corps,  Lexington,  Ky., 
ordering  a board  of  examiners  for  the  follow- 
ing officers  of  the  Sixth  Virginia:  Maj.  W.  FI. 
Johnson;  Second  Battalion,  Capt.  C.  B.  Nicholas, 
Capt.  J.  E.  Hill,  Capt.  J.  A.  C.  Stevens,  Capt. 


346 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


E.  W.  Gould,  Capt.  Peter  Shepperd,  Jr.,  Lieu- 
tenants S.  B.  Randolph,  Geo.  T.  Wright  and 
David  Worrell,  for  examination  September  20, 
1898.  Each  officer  immediately  tendered  his 
resignation,  which  was  at  once  accepted  by  the 
Secretary  of  War. 

Under  the  rules  governing  the  volunteer  army, 
when  vacancies  occurred  by  death,  removal, 
resignation  or  otherwise,  the  Colonel  of  a regi- 
ment had  the  power  to  recommend  suitable  offi- 
cers or  men  to  fill  the  vacancies  by  promotions, 
and  the  Governor  would  make  the  appointment 
with  the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 
Many  of  the  men  had  high  hopes  of  gaining  a 
commission ; many  of  the  most  worthy  young 
men  of  the  State,  who  left  their  peaceful  voca- 
tions for  the  rough  service  of  war,  for  they  were 
students,  bookkeepers,  real  estate  men,  mer- 
chants, clerks  and  artists  who  responded  to  their 
country’s  call — all  looking  to  a much  desired 
promotion.  But  after  many  conflicting  stories 
as  to  what  would  be  done  and  much  parleying 
on  the  part  of  the  recommending  power,  the  lat- 
ter said  there  was  none  in  the  regiment  quali- 
fied for  the  promotion.  And  thereupon  the 
Governor  appointed  white  officers  to  fill  the 
vacancies  created.  A copy  of  the  following  was 
sent  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia  through  “mili- 
tary channels,”  but  never  reached  him;  also  to 
the  Adjutant-General  of  the  army  through  mili- 
tary channels: 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERIOAN  WAR 


347 


Sixth  Virginia  Volunteer  Infantry, 

Second  Battalion,  Colored, 

Camp  Poland,  Tenn., 
October  27th,  1898. 

To  the  Adjutant-General,  U.  S.  Army,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

Sir: — We,  the  undersigned  officers  of  the 
Sixth  Virginia  Volunteer  Infantry,  stationed  at 
Camp  Poland,  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  have  the  honor 
to  respectfully  submit  to  you  the  following: 

Nine  officers  of  this  command  who  had  served 
the  State  militia  for  a period  ranging  from  five 
to  twenty  years  were  ordered  examined.  They 
resigned  for  reasons  best  known  to  themselves. 
We,  the  remaining  officers,  were  sanguine  that 
Negro  officers  would  be  appointed  to  fill  these 
vacancies,  and  believe  they  can  be  had  from 
the  rank  and  file,  as  the  men  in  the  various 
companies  enlisted  with  the  distinct  understand- 
ing that  they  would  be  commanded  by  Negro 
officers.  We  now  understand  through  various 
sources  that  white  officers  have  been,  or  are  to 
be,  appointed  to  fill  these  vacancies,  to  which 
we  seriously  and  respectfully  protest,  because 
our  men  are  dissatisfied.  The  men  feel  that  the 
policy  inaugurated  as  to  this  command  should 
remain,  and  we  fear  if  there  is  a change  it  will 
result  disastrously  to  one  of  the  best  disciplined 
commands  in  the  volunteer  service.  They  are 
unwilling  to  be  commanded  by  white  officers 
and  object  to  do  what  they  did  not  agree  to  at 


348 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


first.  That  is,  to  be  commanded  by  any  other 
than  officers  of  the  same  color.  We  furthermore 
believe  that  should  the  appointments  be  con- 
firmed there  will  be  a continual  friction  between 
the  officers  and  men  of  the  two  races  as  has 
been  foretold  by  our  present  commanding  offi- 
cer. We  express  the  unanimous  and  sincere 
desire  of  seven  hundred  and  ninety-one  men  in 
the  command  to  be  mustered  out  rather  than 
submit  to  the  change. 

We  therefore  pray  that  the  existing  vacancies 
be  filled  from  the  rank  and  file  of  the  command 
or  by  men  of  color.  To  all  of  which  we  most 
humbly  pray. 

(Signed) 

J.  B.  JOHNSON,  Major  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

PLEASANT  WEBB,  Capt.  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

BENJ.  A.  GRAVES,  Capt.  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

JAS.  C.  SMITH,  ist  Lt.  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

L.  J.  WYCHE,  ist  Lt.  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

CHAS.  H.  ROBINSON,  ist  Lt.  6th  Va.  Vol. 

JOHN  H.  HILL,  ist  Lt.  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

JNO.  K.  RICE,  ist  Lt.  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

EDWIN  T.  WALKER,  ist  Lt.  6th  Va.  Vol. 

C.  R.  ALEXANDER,  ist  Lt.  and  Surg.  6th 
Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

JOHN  PARHAM,  2nd  Lt.  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

JAS.  ST.  GILPIN,  2nd  Lt.  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

W.  H.  ANDERSON,  2nd  Lt.  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

GEORGE  W.  FOREMAN,  2nd  Lt.  6th  Va.  Vol. 
Inf. 

FREDERICK  E.  MANGGRUM,  2nd  Lt.  6th 
Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

RICHARD  HILL,  2nd  Lt.  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

JAMES  M.  COLLIN,  2nd  Lt.  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf. 


IN  THE  SPA.NISH-AME  RICAN  WAR 


349 


Major  J.  B.  Johnson, 
of  the  Sixth  Virginia  Colored  Volunteers. 


,350 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


FIRST  ENDORSEMENT. 

Headquarters  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf. 

Second  Battalion,  Colored, 

Camp  Poland,  Tenn.,  Oct.  28,  1898. 

Respectfully  forwarded. 

I have  explained  to  the  officers  who  signed 
this  paper  that  their  application  is  absurd,  but 
they  seem  unable  to  see  the  points  involved, 
i The  statement  within  that  791  men  prefer  to 
be  mustered  out  rather  than  serve  under  white 
officers  is  based  upon  the  alleged  reports  that 
each  First  Sergeant  stated  to  his  Captain  that 
all  the  men  of  the  company  were  of  that  opinion. 
The  statement  that  the  men  “enlisted  with  the 
understanding  that  they  would  be  commanded 
entirely  by  Negro  officers,”  seems  to  be  based 
upon  the  fact  that  when  these  companies  were 
called  upon  by  the  State  authorities  they  volun- 
teered for  service,  etc.,  “with  our  present  offi- 
cers.” These  officers  (nine  of  them)  have  since 
resigned  and  their  places  filled  by  the  Governor 
of  Virginia  with  white  officers. 

These  latter  have  not  yet  reported  for  duty. 

Further  comment  seems  as  unnecessary  as  the 
application  itself  is  useless. 

(Signed)  R.  C.  CROXTON, 

Lt.-Col.  6th  Va.  Vol.  Inf.  Com’d’g. 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AHERICAN  WAR 


351 


SECOND  ENDORSEMENT. 

Headquarters  Third  Brigade, 
Second  Division,  First  Army  Corps, 

Camp  Poland,  Tenn.,  Oct.  29,  1898. 

Respectfully  forwarded.  Disapproved,  as  un- 
der the  law  creating  the  present  volunteer  forces 
the  Governor  of  Virginia  is  the  only  authority 
who  can  appoint  the  officers  of  the  6th  Va.  Vol. 
Inf. 

(Signed)  JAMES  H.  YOUNG, 

Col.  Third  N.  C.  Vol.  Inf.  Com’d’g  Brigade. 


THIRD  ENDORSEMENT. 

Headquarters  Second  Division, 
First  Army  Corps, 

Camp  Poland,  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  Oct.  31,  1898. 

Respectfully  returned  to  the  Commanding 
General,  Third  Brigade. 

The  enclosed  communication  is  in  form  and 
substance  so  contrary  to  all  military  practice 
and  traditions  that  it  is  returned  for  file  at  Regi- 
mental Headquarters,  6th  Va.  Vol.  Infantry. 

By  command  of  Colonel  KUERT. 

(Signed)  LOUIS  V.  CAZIARC, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General. 


352 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


FOURTH  ENDORSEMENT. 

Headquarters  Third  Brigade, 
Second  Division,  First  Army  Corps. 
Respectfully  transmitted  to  C.  O.,  6th  Vir- 
ginia, inviting  attention  to  preceding-  Inst. 

By  order  of  Colonel  YOUNG. 

(Signed)  A.  B.  COLLIER, 

Captain  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 


A NEW  LIEUTENANT  FOR  THE  SIXTH 
VIRGINIA. 

October  31st,  1898,  the  monthly  muster  was 
in  progress.  There  appeared  in  the  camp  a new 
lieutenant — Lieut.  Jno.  W.  Healey — formerly 
Sergeant-Major  in  the  regular  army.  This  was 
the  first  positive  evidence  that  white  officers 
would  be  assigned  to  this  regiment.  This  was 
about  9 o’clock  in  the  morning,  and  at  Knox- 
ville later  in  the  day  there  were  more  arrivals. 
Then  it  was  published  that  the  following 
changes  and  appointments  were  made : 

Company  “D,”  First  Battalion,  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Second  Battalion;  Company  “F,” 
of  the  Second  Battalion,  transferred  to  the  First 
Battalion. 

Major  E.  E.  Cobell,  commanding  Second  Bat- 
talion. 

Captain  R.  L.  E.  Masurier,  commanding  Com- 
pany “D.” 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


353 


Captain  W.  S.  Faulkner,  commanding  Com- 
pany “E.” 

Captain  J.  W.  Bentley,  commanding  Company 

“G” 

Captain  S.  T.  Moore,  commanding  Company 
“H” 

First  Lieutenant  Jno.  W.  Healey  to  Company 
“H.” 

First  Lieutenant  A.  L.  Moncure  to  Company 
“G.” 

Second  Lieutenant  Geo.  W.  Richardson,  Com- 
pany “G.” 

First  Lieutenant  Edwin  T.  Walker  transferred 
to  Company  “C.” 

November  1st  officers  attempted  to  take 
charge  of  the  men  who  offered  no  violence  at 
all,  but  by  their  manner  and  conduct  it  appeared 
too  unpleasant  and  unsafe  for  these  officers  to 
remain,  so  tendered  their  resignations,  but  they 
were  withheld  for  a day. 

The  next  day,  November  2,  1898,  it  was 
thought  best  that  the  colored  captains  and  lieu- 
tenants would  drill  the  companies  at  the  9 
o’clock  drill.  While  on  the  field  “recall”  was 
sounded  and  the  companies  were  brought  to  the 
headquarters  and  formed  a street  column.  Gen- 
eral Bates,  commanding  the  Corps  and  his  staff; 
Col.  Kuert,  commanding  the  Brigade  and  Bri- 
gade staff;  Maj.  Louis  V.  Caziarc,  Assistant  Ad- 
jutant-General ; Lieut. -Col.  Croxton  and  Maj. 
Johnson  were  all  there  and  spoke  to  the  men. 


354 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


Colonel  Kuert  said:  “Gentlemen,  as  commanding- 
officer  of  the  Brigade,  I appear  before  you  to- 
day asking  you  to  do  your  duty;  to  be  good 
soldiers,  to  remember  your  oath  of  enlistment, 
and  to  be  careful  as  to  the  step  you  take,  for 
it  might  cost  you  your  life;  that  there  are 
enough  soldiers  at  my  command  to  force  you 
into  submission  should  you  resist.  Now,  if  you 
intend  to  accept  the  situation  and  submit  to 
these  officers  placed  over  you,  at  my  command, 
you  come  to  a right  shoulder,  and  if  you  have 
any  grievance,  imaginary  or  otherwise,  present 
through  proper  military  channels,  and  if  they 
are  proper  your  wrongs  will  be  adjusted.” 

“Right  shoulder,  Arms.”  Did  not  a man 
move.  He  then  ordered  them  to  be  taken  back 
to  their  company  street  and  to  “stack  arms.” 

Before  going  to  the  company  streets  Major 
Caziarc  spoke  to  the  men  as  follows:  “Forty 
years  ago  no  Negro  could  bear  arms  or  wear  the 
blue.  You  cannot  disgrace  the  blue,  but  you 
can  make  yourselves  unworthy  to  wear  it.” 

Then  Maj.  J.  B.  Johnson  spoke  to  the  men 
and  urged  upon  them  to  keep  in  mind  the  oath 
of  enlistment  (which  he  read  to  them),  in  which 
they  swore  that  they  would  “obey  all  officers 
placed  over  them”;  that  since  the  appointments 
had  been  made  there  was  nothing  for  them  to 
do  but  to  accept  the  situation.  At  the  conclu- 
sion of  Maj.  Johnson’s  talk  to  the  men,  Private 
Badger,  Regimental  tailor,  stepped  to  the  front 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


357 


Wilson,  the  Corps  commander,  removed  them 
and  put  colored  soldiers  to  guard  them.  On  the 
night  of  November  20th,  at  a late  hour,  the  camp 
was  surrounded  by  all  the  troops  available  while 
the  men  were  asleep  and  the  regiment  was  dis- 
armed. 

While  all  this  was  going  on,  the  Thirty-first 
Michigan  Regiment  had  been  deployed  into  line 
behind  a hill  on  the  north,  and  the  Fourth 
Tennessee  had  been  drawn  up  in  line  on  the 
east  side  of  the  camp  ready  to  fire  should  any 
resistance  be  offered. 

The  men  quietly  submitted  to  this  strange 
procedure,  and  did  not  know  that  Gatling  guns 
had  been  conveniently  placed  at  hand  to  mow 
them  down  had  they  shown  any  resistance. 
The  Southern  papers  called  them  the  mutinous 
Sixth,  and  said  and  did  everything  to  place 
discredit  upon  them. 

They  were  reviewed  by  General  Breckin- 
ridge, General  Alger,  Secretary  of  War,  and 
President  McKinley,  who  applauded  them  for 
their  fine  and  soldierly  appearance. 


COMMENTS  ON  THE  THIRD  NORTH 
CAROLINA  REGIMENT. 

Of  all  the  volunteer  regiments  the  Third 
North  Carolina  seemed  to  be  picked  out  as  the 
target  for  attack  by  the  Georgia  newspapers. 
The  “Atlanta  Journal,”  under  large  headlines, 


354 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


Colonel  Kuert  said:  “Gentlemen,  as  commanding- 
officer  of  the  Brigade,  I appear  before  you  to- 
day asking  you  to  do  your  duty;  to  be  good 
soldiers,  to  remember  your  oath  of  enlistment, 
and  to  be  careful  as  to  the  step  you  take,  for 
it  might  cost  you  your  life;  that  there  are 
enough  soldiers  at  my  command  to  force  you 
into  submission  should  you  resist.  Now,  if  you 
intend  to  accept  the  situation  and  submit  to 
these  officers  placed  over  you,  at  my  command, 
you  come  to  a right  shoulder,  and  if  you  have 
any  grievance,  imaginary  or  otherwise,  present 
through  proper  military  channels,  and  if  they 
are  proper  your  wrongs  will  be  adjusted.” 

“Right  shoulder,  Arms.”  Did  not  a man 
move.  He  then  ordered  them  to  be  taken  back 
to  their  company  street  and  to  “stack  arms.” 

Before  going  to  the  company  streets  Major 
Caziarc  spoke  to  the  men  as  follows:  “Forty 
years  ago  no  Negro  could  bear  arms  or  wear  the 
blue.  You  cannot  disgrace  the  blue,  but  you 
can  make  yourselves  unworthy  to  wear  it.” 

Then  Maj.  J.  B.  Johnson  spoke  to  the  men 
and  urged  upon  them  to  keep  in  mind  the  oath 
of  enlistment  (which  he  read  to  them),  in  which 
they  swore  that  they  would  “obey  all  officers 
placed  over  them” ; that  since  the  appointments 
had  been  made  there  was  nothing  for  them  to 
do  but  to  accept  the  situation.  At  the  conclu- 
sion of  Maj.  Johnson’s  talk  to  the  men,  Private 
Badger,  Regimental  tailor,  stepped  to  the  front 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


357 


Wilson,  the  Corps  commander,  removed  them 
and  put  colored  soldiers  to  guard  them.  On  the 
night  of  November  20th,  at  a late  hour,  the  camp 
was  surrounded  by  all  the  troops  available  while 
the  men  were  asleep  and  the  regiment  was  dis- 
armed. 

While  all  this  was  going  on,  the  Thirty-first 
Michigan  Regiment  had  been  deployed  into  line 
behind  a hill  on  the  north,  and  the  Fourth 
Tennessee  had  been  drawn  up  in  line  on  the 
east  side  of  the  camp  ready  to  fire  should  any 
resistance  be  offered. 

The  men  quietly  submitted  to  this  strange 
procedure,  and  did  not  know  that  Gatling  guns 
had  been  conveniently  placed  at  hand  to  mow 
them  down  had  they  shown  any  resistance. 
The  Southern  papers  called  them  the  mutinous 
Sixth,  and  said  and  did  everything  to  place 
discredit  upon  them. 

They  were  reviewed  by  General  Breckin- 
ridge, General  Alger,  Secretary  of  War,  and 
President  McKinley,  who  applauded  them  for 
their  fine  and  soldierly  appearance. 


COMMENTS  ON  THE  THIRD  NORTH 
CAROLINA  REGIMENT. 

Of  all  the  volunteer  regiments  the  Third 
North  Carolina  seemed  to  be  picked  out  as  the 
target  for  attack  by  the  Georgia  newspapers. 
The  “Atlanta  Journal,”  under  large  headlines, 


358 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


“A  Happy  Riddance,”  has  the  following  to  say 
when  the  Third  North  Carolina  left  Macon. 
But  the  “Journal's”  article  was  evidently  writ- 
ten in  a somewhat  of  a wish-it-was-so  manner, 
and  while  reading  this  article  we  ask  our  read- 
ers to  withhold  judgment  until  they  read  Prof. 
C.  F.  Meserve  on  the  Third  North  Carolina, 
who  wrote  after  investigation. 

The  “Journal”  made  no  investigation  to  see 
what  the  facts  were,  but  dwells  largely  on 
rumors  and  imagination.  It  will  be  noted  that 
President  Meserve  took  the  pains  to  investi- 
gate the  subject  before  writing  about  it. 

The  “Atlanta  Journal”  says: 

A HAPPY  RIDDANCE. 

“The  army  and  the  country  are  to  be  con- 
gratulated on  the  mustering  out  of  the  Third 
North  Carolina  Regiment. 

“A  tougher  and  more  turbulent  set  of  Ne- 
groes were  probably  never  gotten  together  be- 
fore. Wherever  this  regiment  went  it  caused 
trouble. 

“While  stationed  in  Macon  several  of  its 
members  were  killed,  either  by  their  own  com- 
rades in  drunken  brawls  or  by  citizens  in  self- 
defense. 

“Last  night  the  mustered-out  regiment  passed 
through  Atlanta  on  its  way  home,  and  during 
its  brief  stay  here  exhibited  the  same  ruffianism 
and  brutality  that  characterized  it  while  in 
the  service.  But  for  the  promptness  and  pluck 


IN  THE  SPANISH- AMERICAN  WAR 


359 


of  several  Atlanta  policemen  these  Negro  ex- 
soldiers would  have  done  serious  mischief  at 
the  depot.  Those  who  undertook  to  make 
trouble  were  very  promptly  clubbed  into  sub- 
mission, and  one  fellow  more  obstreperous  than 
the  rest  was  lodged  in  the  station  house. 

“With  the  exception  of  two  or  three  regi- 
ments the  Negro  volunteers  in  the  recent  war 
were  worse  than  useless.  The  Negro  regulars, 
on  the  contrary,  made  a fine  record,  both  for 
fighting  and  conduct  in  camp. 

“The  mustering  out  of  the  Negro  volunteers 
should  have  begun  sooner  and  have  been  com- 
pleted long  ago.” 


WHAT  PRESIDENT  CHARLES  FRANCIS 
MESERVE  SAYS. 

President  Charles  Francis  Meserve,  of  Shaw 
University,  says: 

“I  spent  a part  of  two  days  the  latter  part 
of  December  at  Camp  Haskell,  near  Macon, 
Ga.,  inspecting  the  Third  North  Carolina  col- 
ored regiment  and  its  camp  and  surroundings. 
The  fact  that  this  regiment  has  colored  offi- 
cers and  the  knowledge  that  the  Colonel  and 
quite  a number  of  officers,  as  well  as  many  of 
the  rank  and  file,  were  graduates  or  former 
students  of  Shaw  University,  led  me  to  make 
a visit  to  this  regiment,  unheralded  and  un- 
announced. I was  just  crossing  the  line  into 


360 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


the  camp  when  I was  stopped  by  a guard,  who 
wanted  to  know  who  I was  and  what  I wanted. 
I told  him  I was  a very  small  piece  of  Shaw 
University,  and  that  I wanted  to  see  Colonel 
Young.  After  that  sentence  was  uttered,  and 
he  had  directed  me  to  the  headquarters  of  the 
Colonel,  the  regiment  and  the  camp  might  have 
been  called  mine,  for  the  freedom  of  everything 
was  granted  me. 

“The  camp  is  admirably  located  on  a sandy 
hillside,  near  pine  woods,  and  is  dry  and  well 
drained.  It  is  well  laid  out,  with  a broad 
avenue  in  the  centre,  intersected  by  a number 
of  side  streets.  On  one  side  of  the  avenue  are 
the  tents  and  quarters  of  the  men  and  the 
canteen,  and  on  the  opposite  side  the  officers’ 
quarters,  the  hospital,  the  quartermasters’ 
stores,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  tent,  etc. 

“Although  the  weather  was  unfavorable,  the 
camp  was  in  the  best  condition,  and  from  the 
standpoint  of  sanitation  was  well-nigh  perfect. 
I went  everywhere  and  saw  everything,  even 
to  the  sinks  and  corral.  Part  of  the  time  I was 
alone  and  part  of  the  time  an  officer  attended 
me.  There  was  an  abundant  supply  of  water 
from  the  Macon  water  works  distributed  in  pipes 
throughout  the  camp.  The  clothing  was  of  good 
quality  and  well  cared  for.  The  food  was  excel- 
lent, abundant  in  quantity  and  well  prepared. 
The  beef  was  fresh  and  sweet,  for  it  had  not 
been  ‘embalmed.’  The  men  were  not  obliged 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


361 


to  get  their  fresh  meat  by  picking  maggots  out 
of  dried  apples  and  dried  peaches  as  has  been 
the  case  sometimes  in  the  past  on  our  ‘Wild  West 
Frontier.’  There  were  potatoes,  Irish  and  sweet, 
navy  beans,  onions,  meat,  stacks  of  light  bread, 


Prof.  Charles  F.  Meserve, 
of  Shaw  University,  Raleigh,  N.  C., 

Who  investigated  and  made  report  on  the  Third  N.  C.  Volunteers. 


canned  salmon,  canned  tomatoes,  etc.  These 
were  not  all  served  at  one  meal,  but  all  these 
articles  and  others  go  to  make  up  the  army 
ration  list. 

“The  spirit  and  discipline  of  officers  and 
men  was  admirable,  and  reflected  great  credit 


362 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


upon  the  Old  North  State.  There  was  an 
enthusiastic  spirit  and  buoyancy  that  made 
their  discipline  and  evolutions  well-nigh  per- 
fect. The  secret  of  it  all  was  confidence  in  their 
leader.  They  believe  in  their  colonel,  and  the 
colonel  in  turn  believes  in  his  men.  Col.  James 
H.  Young  possesses  in  a marked  degree  a 
quality  of  leadership  as  important  as  it  is  rare. 
He  probably  knows  by  name  at  least  three- 
quarters  of  his  regiment,  and  is  on  pleasant 
terms  with  his  staff  and  the  men  in  the  ranks, 
and  yet  maintains  a proper  dignity,  such  as 
befits  his  official  rank. 

“On  the  last  afternoon  of  my  visit  of  inspec- 
tion Colonel  Young  ordered  the  regiment  drawn 
up  in  front  of  his  headquarters,  and  invited  me 
to  address  them.  The  Colonel  and  his  staff 
were  mounted,  and  I was  given  a position  of 
honor  on  a dry-goods  box  near  the  head  of  the 
beautiful  horse  upon  which  the  Colonel  was 
mounted.  Besides  Colonel  James  H.  Young,  of 
Raleigh,  were  near  me  Lieutenant-Colonel  Tay- 
lor, of  Charlotte;  Major  Walker,  of  Wilming- 
ton; Major  Hayward,  of  Raleigh;  Chief  Surgeon 
Dellinger,  of  Greensboro;  Assistant  Surgeons 
Pope,  of  Charlotte,  and  Alston,  of  Asheville; 
Capt.  Durham,  of  Winston;  Capt.  Hamlin,  of 
Raleigh;  Capt.  Hargraves,  of  Maxton;  Capt. 
Mebane,  of  Elizabeth  City;  Capt.  Carpenter,  of 
Rutherfordton ; Capt.  Alexander,  of  Statesville; 
Capt.  Smith,  of  Durham;  Capt.  Mason,  of  Kins- 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


363 


ton,  who  served  under  Colonel  Shaw  at  Fort 
Wagner;  Capt.  Leatherwood,  Asheville;  Capt. 
Stitt,  of  Charlotte;  Capt.  York,  of  Newbern,  and 
Quartermaster  Lane,  of  Raleigh.  That  highly 
respected  citizen  of  Fayetteville,  Adjutant 
Smith,  was  in  the  hospital  suffering  from  a 
broken  leg.  I told  them  they  were  on  trial,  and 
the  success  or  failure  of  the  experiment  must 
be  determined  by  themselves  alone;  that  godli- 
ness, moral  character,  prompt  and  implicit  obe- 
dience, as  well  as  bravery  and  unflinching 
courage,  were  necessary  attributes  of  the  true 
soldier. 

“The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  tent  is  a great  blessing  to 
the  regiment,  and  is  very  popular,  and  aids  in 
every  possible  way  the  work  of  Chaplain  Dur- 
ham. 

“The  way  Colonel  Young  manages  the  can- 
teen cannot  be  too  highly  recommended.  Or- 
dinarily the  term  canteen  is  another  name  for 
a drinking  saloon,  though  a great  variety  of 
articles,  such  as  soldiers  need,  are  on  sale  and 
the  profits  go  to  the  soldiers.  But  the  canteen 
of  the  Third  North  Carolina  is  a dry  one.  By 
that  I mean  that  spirituous  or  malt  liquors  are 
not  sold.  Colonel  Young  puts  into  practice  the 
principles  that  have  always  characterized  his 
personal  habits,  and  with  the  best  results  to 
his  regiment. 

“I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Capt.  S.  Bab- 
cock, Assistant  Adjutant-General  of  the  Brigade, 


364 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


who  has  known  this  regiment  since  it  was  mus- 
tered into  the  service.  He  speaks  of  it  in  the 
highest  terms.  I also  met  Major  John  A. 
Logan,  the  Provost  Marshal,  and  had  a long 
interview  with  him.  He  said  the  Third  North 
Carolina  was  a well-behaved  regiment  and  that 
he  had  not  arrested  a larger  per  cent,  of  men 
from  this  regiment  than  from  any  other  regi- 
ment, and  that  I was  at  liberty  to  publicly  use 
this  statement. 

“While  in  the  sleeper  on  my  way  home  I fell 
in  with  Capt.  J.  C.  Gresham,  of  the  Seventh 
Cavalry.  Capt.  Gresham  is  a native  of  Virginia, 
a graduate  of  Richmond  College  and  West 
Point,  and  has  served  many  years  in  the  regu- 
lar army.  He  was  with  Colonel  Forsyth  in  the 
battle  with  the  Sioux  at  Wounded  Knee,  South 
Dakota.  I had  met  him  previously,  when  I was 
in  the  United  States  Indian  service  in  Kansas. 
He  informed  me  that  he  mustered  in  the  first 
four  companies  of  the  Third  North  Carolina, 
and  the  Colonel  and  his  staff,  and  that  he  had 
never  met  a more  capable  man  than  Colonel 
Young. 

“The  Third  North  Carolina  has  never  seen 
active  service  at  the  front,  and,  as  the  Hispano- 
American  war  is  practically  a closed  chapter,  it 
will  probably  be  mustered  out  of  the  service 
without  any  knowledge  of  actual  warfare.  I 
thought,  however,  as  I stood  on  the  dry-goods 
box  and  gave  them  kindly  advice,  and  looked 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


365 


down  along  the  line,  that  if  I was  a soldier  in 
a white  regiment  and  was  pitted  against  them, 
my  regiment  would  have  to  do  some  mighty 
lively  work  to  ‘clean  them  out.’ 

“CHARLES  FRANCIS  MESERVE. 

“Shaw  University, 

“Raleigh,  N.  C.,  Jan.  25,  1899.” 


THE  TWENTY-FOURTH  UNITED 
STATES  INFANTRY. 

By  Sergeant  E.  D.  GIBSON. 

The  Twenty-fourth  United  States  Infantry 
was  organized  by  act  of  Congress  July  28,  1866. 
Reorganized  by  consolidation  of  the  38th  and 
41st  regiments  of  infantry,  by  act  of  Congress, 
approved  March  3,  1869.  Organization  of  regi- 
ment completed  in  September,  1869,  with  head- 
quarters at  Fort  McKavett,  Texas. 

Since  taking  station  at  Fort  McKavett,  head- 
quarters of  the  regiment  have  been  at  the  fol- 
lowing places: 

1870-71,  Fort  McKavett,  Texas;  1872,  Forts 
McKavett  and  Brown,  Texas;  1873-74,  Forts 
Brown  and  Duncan,  Texas;  1875-76  Fort  Brown, 
Texas;  1877-78,  Fort  Clark,  Texas;  1879,  Fort 
Duncan,  Texas;  1880,  Forts  Duncan  and  Davis, 
Texas;  1881-87,  Fort  Supply,  Ind.  Ter.;  1888, 
Forts  Supply  and  Sill,  Ind.  Ter.,  and  Bayard, 
N.  M. ; 1889  to  1896,  Forts  Bayard,  N.  M.,  and 


366 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


Douglas,  Utah;  1897,  Fort  Douglas,  Utah;  1898, 
Fort  Douglas,  Utah,  till  April  20,  when  ordered 
into  the  held,  incident  to  the  breaking  out  of 
the  Spanish-American  War.  At  Chickamauga 
Park,  Ga.,  April  24  to  30;  Tampa,  Fla.,  May  2 
to  June  7;  on  board  transport  “S.  S.  City  of 
Washington,”  en  route  with  expedition  (Fifth 
Army  Corps)  to  Cuba,  from  June  9 to  25;  at 
Siboney  and  Las  Guasimas,  Cuba,  from  June  25 
to  30;  occupied  the  immediate  blockhouse  hill 
at  Fort  San  Juan,  Cuba,  July  1 to  10,  from 
which  position  the  regiment  changed  to  a place 
on  the  San  Juan  ridge  about  one-fourth  of  a 
mile  to  the  left  of  the  blockhouse,  where  it  re- 
mained until  July  15,  when  it  took  station  at 
yellow  fever  camp,  Siboney,  Cuba,  remaining 
until  August  26,  1898;  returned  to  the  United 
States  August  26,  arriving  at  Montauk  Point, 
L.  I.,  September  2,  1898,  where  it  remained  until 
September  26,  when  ordered  to  its  original  sta- 
tion, Fort  Douglas,  Utah,  rejoining  October  1, 
1898. 

FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS. 

Colonel. — Henry  B.  Freeman,  under  orders 
to  join. 

Lieutenant-Colonel.  — Emerson  H.  Liscum, 
*Brig.-Gen.  Vols.  On  sick  leave  from  wounds 
received  in  action  at  Fort  San  Juan,  Cuba, 
July  1,  1898. 

Majors. — J.  Milton  Thompson,  commanding 
regiment  and  post  at  Fort  Douglas,  Utah. 


IN  THE  SPANISH- AMERICAN  WAR 


367 


Alfred  C.  Markley,  with  regiment,  commanding 
post  of  Fort  D.  A.  Russell,  Wyoming. 

Chaplain. — Allen  Allenworth,  Post  Treasurer 
and  in  charge  of  schools. 

Adjutant. — Joseph  D.  Leitch,  recruiting  officer 
at  post. 

Quartermaster. — Albert  Laws. 

On  July  1,  1898,  our  regiment  was  not  a part  of 
the  firing  line,  and  was  not  ordered  on  that  line 
until  the  fire  got  so  hot  that  the  white  troops 
positively  refused  to  go  forward.  When  our 
commander,  Lieutenant-Colonel  E.  H.  Liscum, 
was  ordered  to  go  in  he  gave  the  command 
“forward,  march,”  and  we  moved  forward  sing- 
ing “Hold  the  Fort,  for  we  are  coming,”  and  on 
the  eastern  bank  of  the  San  Juan  River  we 
walked  over  the  Seventy-first  New  York  Volun- 
teer Infantry.  After  wading  the  river  we 
marched  through  the  ranks  of  the  Thirteenth 
(regular)  Infantry  and  formed  about  fifty  yards 
in  their  front.  We  were  then  about  six  hun- 
dred yards  from  and  in  plain  view  of  the  block- 
house and  Spanish  trenches.  As  soon  as  the 
Spaniards  saw  this  they  concentrated  all  of  their 
fire  on  us,  and,  while  changing  from  column  to 
line  of  battle  (which  took  about  eight  minutes), 
we  lost  one  hundred  and  two,  men,  and  that 
place  on  the  river  to-day  is  called  “bloody 
bend.”  We  had  only  one  advantage  of  the 
enemy — that  was  our  superior  marksmanship. 
I was  right  of  the  battalion  that  led  the  charge 


368 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


and  I directed  my  line  against  the  center  of  the 
trench,  which  was  on  a precipice  about  two  hun- 
dred feet  high. 

I was  born  December  4,  1852,  in  Wythe 
County,  Virginia,  and  joined  the  army  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  November  22,  1869,  and  have  been 
in  the  army  continuously  since.  I served  my 
first  ten  years  in  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  where  I 
experienced  many  hard  fights  with  the  Indians. 
I was  assigned  to  the  Twenty-fourth  Infantry 
by  request  in  1880. 

E.  D.  GIBSON, 

Sergeant  Co.  G,  24th  U.  S.  Infantry, 
Presidio,  California. 


2A  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


369 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

SOME  FACTS  ABOUT  THE  PHILIPPINOS. 

WHO  AGUINALDO  IS. 

Emilio  Aguinaldo  was  born  March  22,  1869, 
at  Cavite,  Viejo. 

When  twenty-five  years  old  he  was  elected 
Mayor  of  Cavite. 

On  August  21,  1896,  Aguinaldo  became  leader 
of  the  insurgents.  The  revolution  started  on 
that  day. 

He  fought  four  battles  with  the  Spaniards 
and  was  victorious  in  all.  He  lost  but  ten  men, 
to  the  Spaniards’  125. 

On  December  24,  1897,  a peace  was  estab- 
lished between  Aguinaldo  and  the  Spanish. 

Aguinaldo  received  $400,000,  but  the  rest  of 
the  conditions  of  peace  were  never  carried  out. 

In  June  Aguinaldo  issued  a proclamation,  ex- 
pressing a desire  for  the  establishment  of  a native 
administration  in  the  Philippines  under  an  Amer- 
ican protectorate. 

In  an  interview  with  a “World”  correspondent 
at  that  time  he  expressed  himself  as  grateful  to 
Americans. 

In  July,  1897,  he  issued  a proclamation  fixing 
the  12th  day  of  that  month  for  the  declaration  of 
the  independence  of  the  Philippines. 

In  November,  1897,  Aguinaldo  defied  General 
Otis,  refusing  to  release  his  Spanish  prisoners. 


370 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


The  Cabinet  on  December  2,  1897,  cabled  Gen- 
eral Otis  to  demand  the  release  of  the  prisoners. 

AGUINALDO  THE  MAN. 

In  his  features,  face  and  skull  Aguinaldo 
looks  more  like  a European  than  a Malay. 

He  is  what  would  be  called  a handsome  man, 
and  might  be  compared  with  many  young  men 
in  the  province  of  Andalusia,  Spain.  If  there 
be  truth  in  phrenology,  he  is  a man  above  the 
common.  Friends  and  enemies  agree  that  he 
is  intelligent,  ambitious,  far-sighted,  brave,  self- 
controlled,  honest,  moral,  vindictive,  and  at 
times  cruel.  He  possesses  the  quality  which 
friends  call  wisdom  and  enemies  call  craft.  Ac- 
cording to  those  who  like  him  he  is  courteous, 
polished,  thoughtful  and  dignified;  according  to 
those  who  dislike  him  he  is  insincere,  preten- 
tious, vain  and  arrogant.  Both  admit  him  to  be 
genial,  generous,  self-sacrificing,  popular  and 
capable  in  the  administration  of  affairs.  If  the 
opinion  of  his  foes  be  accepted  he  is  one  of  the 
greatest  Malays  on  the  page  of  history.  If  the 
opinion  of  his  friends  be  taken  as  the  criterion 
he  is  one  of  the  great  men  of  history  irrespective 
of  race. — “The  Review  of  Reviews.” 


FACTS  FROM  FEFIPE  AGONCILLO’S 
LETTER  IN  “LESLIE’S  MAGAZINE.” 

Sixty  per  cent,  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Philip- 
pines can  read  and  write. 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


371 


Emilio  Aguinaldo,  Military  Dictator  of  the  Filipinos. 


372 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


The  women  in  education  are  on  a plane  with 
the  men. 

Each  town  of  5,000  inhabitants  has  two 
schools  for  children  of  both  sexes.  The  towns 
of  10,000  inhabitants  have  three  schools. 
There  are  technical  training  schools  in  Manila, 
Iloilo,  and  Bacoler.  “In  these  schools  are  taught 
cabinet  work,  silversmithing,  lock-smithing,  li- 
thography, carpentering,  machinery,  decorating, 
sculpture,  political  economy,  commercial  law, 
book-keeping,  and  commercial  correspondence, 
French  and  English;  and  there  is  one  superior 
college  for  painting,  sculpture  and  engraving. 
There  is  also  a college  of  commercial  exports  in 
Manila,  and  a nautical  school,  as  well  as  a su- 
perior school  of  agriculture.  Ten  model  farms 
and  a meteorological  observatory  are  conducted 
in  other  provinces,  together  with  a service  of 
geological  studies,  a botanical  garden  and  a 
museum,  a laboratory  and  military  academy  and 
a school  of  telegraphy.” 

Manila  has  a girl’s  school  (La  Asuncion)  of 
elementary  and  superior  branches,  directed  by 
French,  English  and  Spanish  mothers,  which 
teaches  French,  English  literature,  arithmetic, 
algebra,  trigonometry,  topography,  physics, 
geology,  universal  history,  geography,  design- 
ing, music,  dress-making  and  needle-work.  The 
capital  has  besides  a municipal  school  of  pri- 
mary instruction  and  the  following  colleges: 
Santa  Ysabel,  Santa  Catolina,  La  Concordia, 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERIGAN  WAR 


373 


Santa  Rosa  de  la  Looban,  a hospital  of  San 
Jose,  and  an  Asylum  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  all 
of  which  are  places  of  instruction  for  children. 


Felipe  Agoncillo, 

Emissary  of  the  Filipinos  to  the 
United  States. 


Gen.  Pio  Pilar, 

In  charge  of  the  insurgent  forces  which 
attacked  the  American  troops. 


There  are  other  elementary  schools  in  the  State 
of  Camannis,  in  Pasig,  in  Vigan  and  Jaro. 

The  entire  conduct  of  the  civilization  of  the 
Philippines  as  well  as  local  authorities  are  in 
the  hands  of  the  Philipinos  themselves.  They 


374 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


also  had  charge  of  the  public  offices  of  the  gov- 
ernment during  the  last  century. 

There  is  a medical  school  and  a school  for 
midwives. 

“All  the  young  people,  and  especially  the  boys, 
belonging  to  well-to-do  families  residing  in  the 
other  islands  go  to  Manila  to  study  the  arts  and 
learn  a profession.  Among  the  natives,  to  be 
ignorant  and  uneducated  is  a shameful  condition 
of  degradation. 

“The  sons  of  the  rich  families  began  to  go  to 
Spain  in  1854”  to  be  educated. 

When  the  Spaniards  first  went  to  the  islands 
“they  found  the  Philipinos  enlightened  and  ad- 
vanced in  civilization.”  “They  had  foundries 
for  casting  iron  and  brass,  for  making  guns  and 
powder.  They  had  their  special  writing  with 
two  alphabets,  and  used  paper  imported  from 
China  and  Japan.”  This  was  in  the  early  part 
of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  Spanish  govern- 
ment took  the  part  of  the  natives  against  the 
imposition  of  exorbitant  taxes  and  the  tortures 
of  the  inquisition  by  the  early  settlers. 

The  highest  civilization  exists  in  the  island  of 
Luzon,  but  in  some  of  the  remote  islands  the 
people  are  not  more  than  “enlightened.”  The 
population  embraced  in  Aguinaldo’s  dominion 
is  10,000,000,  scattered  over  a territory  in  area 
approaching  200,000  square  miles.  The  Ameri- 
cans up  to  this  time  have  conquered  only  about 
143  square  miles  of  this  territory. 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


375 


What  takes  place  in  the  South  concerning  the 
treatment  of  Negroes  is  known  in  the  Philip- 
pines. The  Philipino  government  on  the  27th 
of  February,  1899,  issued  from  Hong-Ivong  the 
following  decree  warning  the  Philipino  people 
as  follows: 

“Manila  has  witnessed  the  most  horrible  out- 
rages, the  confiscation  of  the  properties  and  sav- 
ings of  the  people  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet, 
the  shooting  of  the  defenseless,  accompanied  by 
odious  acts  of  abomination,  repugnant  barbar- 
ism and  social  hatred,  worse  than  the  doings 
in  the  Carolinas.” 

They  are  told  of  America’s  treatment  of  the 
black  population,  and  are  made  to  feel  that  it 
is  better  to  die  fighting  than  become  subject 
to  a nation  where,  as  they  are  made  to  believe, 
the  colored  man  is  lynched  and  burned  alive 
indiscriminately.  The  outrages  in  this  country 
are  giving  America  a bad  name  among  the  savage 
people  of  the  world,  and  they  seem  to  prefer 
savagery  to  American  civilization,  such  as  is 
meted  out  to  her  dark-skinned  people. 


376 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


CHAPTER  IX. 

RESUME. 

Should  the  question  be  asked,  “How  did  the 
American  Negroes  act  in  the  Spanish-American 
War?"  the  foregoing  brief  account  of  their  con- 
duct would  furnish  a satisfactory  answer  to 
any  fair  mind.  In  testimony  of  their  valiant 
conduct  we  have  the  evidence,  first,  of  compe- 
tent eyewitnesses;  second,  of  men  of  the  white 
race;  and  third,  not  only  white  race,  but  men 
of  the  Southern  white  race,  in  America,  whose 
antipathy  to  the  Negro  “with  a gun”  is  well 
known,  it  being  related  of  the  great  George 
Washington,  who,  withal,  was  a slave  owner, 
but  mild  in  his  views  as  to  the  harshness  of  that 
system — that  on  his  dying-bed  he  called  out  to 
his  good  wife:  “Martha,  Martha,  let  me  charge 
you,  dear,  never  to  trust  a ‘nigger’  with  a gun.” 
Again  we  have  the  testimony  of  men  high  in 
authority,  competent  to  judge,  and  whose  evi- 
dence ought  to  be  received.  Such  men  as  Gen- 
eral Joseph  Wheeler,  Colonel  Roosevelt,  General 
Miles,  President  McKinley.  If  on  the  testimony 
of  such  witnesses  as  these  we  have  not  “estab- 
lished our  case,”  there  must  be  something  wrong 
with  the  jury.  A good  case  has  been  estab- 
lished, however,  for  the  colored  soldier,  out  of 
the  mouth  of  many  witnesses.  The  colored 
troopers  just  did  so  well  that  praise  could  not 
be  withheld  from  them  even  by  those,  whose 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


377 


education  and  training  had  bred  in  them  preju- 
dice against  Negroes.  It  can  no  longer  be 
doubted  that  the  Negro  soldier  will  fight.  In 
fact,  such  has  been  their  record  in  past  wars 
that  no  scruples  should  have  been  entertained 
on  this  point,  but  the  (late)  war  was  a fresh 
test,  the  result  of  which  should  be  enough 
to  convince  the  most  incredulous  “Doubting 
Thomases.” 

The  greater  portion  of  the  American  people 
have  confidence  in  the  Negro  soldier.  This  con- 
fidence is  not  misplaced — the  American  govern- 
ment can,  in  the  South,  organize  an  army  of 
Negro  soldiers  that  will  defy  the  combined 
forces  of  any  nation  of  Europe.  The  Negro 
can  fight  in  any  climate,  and  does  not  succumb 
to  the  hardships  of  camp  life.  He  makes  a 
model  soldier  and  is  well-nigh  invincible. 

The  Negro  race  has  a right  to  be  proud  of 
the  achievements  of  the  colored  troopers  in  the 
late  Spanish-American  war.  They  were  the 
representatives  of  the  whole  race  in  that  con- 
flict; had  they  failed  it  would  have  been  a calam- 
ity charged  up  to  the  whole  race.  The  race’s 
enemies  would  have  used  it  with  great  effect. 
They  did  not  fail,  but  did  their  duty  nobly — a 
thousand  hurrahs  for  the  colored  troopers  of 
the  Spanish-American  War!! 

In  considering  their  successful  achievements, 
however,  it  is  well  to  remember  that  there  were 
some  things  the  Negro  had  to  forget  while 


378 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


facing  Spanish  bullets.  The  Negro  soldier  in 
bracing  himself  for  that  conflict  must  needs 
forget  the  cruelties  that  daily  go  on  against  his 
brethren  under  that  same  flag  he  faces  death  to 
defend;  he  must  forget  that  when  he  returns  to 
his  own  land  he  will  be  met  not  as  a citizen, 
but  as  a serf  in  that  part  of  it,  at  least,  where 
the  majority  of  his  people  live;  he  must  forget 
that  if  he  wishes  to  visit  his  aged  parents  who 
may  perhaps  live  in  some  of  the  Southern  States, 
he  must  go  in  a “Jim  Crow”  car;  he  must  forget 
that  the  flag  he  fought  to  defend  in  Cuba  does 
not  protect  him  nor  his  family  at  home;  he 
must  forget  the  murder  of  Frazier  B.  Baker, 
who  was  shot  down  in  cold  blood,  together  with 
his  infant  babe  in  its  mother’s  arms,  and  the 
mother  and  another  child  wounded,  at  Lake 
City,  S.  C.,  for  no  other  offense  than  attempting 
to  perform  the  duties  of  Postmaster  at  that  place 
— a position  given  him  by  President  McKinley;' 
he  must  forget,  also,  the  shooting  of  Loftin,  the 
colored  Postmaster  at  Ftagansville,  Ga.,  who 
was  guilty  of  no  crime,  but  being  a Negro  and 
holding,  at  that  place,  the  post-office,  a position 
given  him  by  the  government. 

WHY  THE  AMERICAN  GOVERNMENT 
DOES  NOT  PROTECT  ITS  COL- 
ORED CITIZENS. 

It  is  due  to  the  peculiar  and  complicated  con- 
struction of  the  laws  relating  to  STATES 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


379 


Convent  at  Cavite,  Where  Aguinaldo  Was  Proclaimed  President  of  the 
Philippine  Republic  (June,  1898). 


380 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


RIGHTS.  The  power  to  punish  for  crimes 
against  citizens  of  the  different  States  is  given 
by  construction  of  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  to  the  courts  of  the  several 
States.  The  Federal  authorities  have  no  juris- 
diction unless  the  State  has  passed  some  law 
abridging  the  rights  of  citizens,  of  the  State 
government  through  its  authorized  agents  is 
unable  to  protect  its  citizens,  and  has  called 
on  the  national  government  for  aid  to  that  end, 
or  some  United  States  official  is  molested  in 
the  discharge  of  his  duty.  Under  this  subtle 
construction  of  the  Constitution  a citizen  who 
lives  in  a State  whose  public  opinion  is  hostile 
becomes  a victim  of  whatever  prejudice  prevails, 
and,  although  the  laws  may,  in  the  letter,  afford 
ample  protection,  yet  those  who  are  to  execute 
them  rarely  do  so  in  the  face  of  a hostile  public 
sentiment;  and  thus  the  Negroes  who  live  in 
hostile  communities  become  the  victims  of  pub- 
lic sentiment.  Juries  may  be  drawn,  and  trials 
may  be  had,  but  the  juries  are  usually  white, 
and  are  also  influenced  in  their  verdicts  by  that 
sentiment  which  declares  that  “this  is  a white 
man’s  government,”  and  a mistrial  follows.  In 
many  instances  the  juries  are  willing  to  do 
justice,  but  they  can  feel  the  pressure  from 
the  outside,  and  in  some  instances  the  jurors 
chosen  to  try  the  cases  were  members  of  the 
mob,  as  in  the  case  of  the  coroner’s  jury  at 
Lake  City, 


IN  THE  SPANISH- AMERICAN  WAR 


381 


It  is  the  duty  of  a State  Governor,  when  he 
finds  public  sentiment  dominating  the  courts 
and  obstructing  justice,  to  interfere,  and  in  case 
he  cannot  succeed  with  the  sheriff  and  posse 
comitatus,  then  to  invoke  National  aid.  But 
this  step  has  never  yet  been  taken  by  any  Gov- 
ernor of  the  States  in  the  interest  of  Negro 
citizenship.  Some  of  the  State  Governors  have 
made  some  demonstration  by  way  of  threats 
of  enforcing  the  law  against  those  who  organize 
mobs  and  take  the  law  into  their  own  hands ; 
and  some  of  the  mob  murderers  have  been 
brought  to  trial,  which,  in  most  cases,  has  re- 
sulted in  an  acquittal  for  the  reason  that  juries 
have,  as  aforestated,  chosen  to  obey  public  sen- 
timent, which  is  not  in  favor  of  punishing  white 
men  for  lynching  Negroes,  rather  than  obey  the 
law;  and  cases  against  the  election  laws  and 
for  molesting  United  States  officials  have  to  be 
tried  in  the  district  where  these  offences  occur, 
and,  the  juries  being  in  sympathy  with  the 
criminals,  usually  acquit,  or  there  is  a mistrial 
because  they  cannot  all  agree. 

That  Mobocracy  is  Supreme  in  many  parts 
of  the  Union  is  no  longer  a mooted  question. 
It  is  a fact,  and  one  that  forebodes  serious 
consequences,  not  only  to  the  Negro,  but  to 
any  class  of  citizens  who  may  happen  to  come 
into  disfavor  with  some  other  class.  The  sad 
feature  of  this  is  that  the  condition  appears  to 
be  getting  worse. 


382 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


What  the  Negro  should  do  under  such  cir- 
cumstances must  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  the 
individuals  concerned.  Some  advise  emigration, 
but  that  is  impracticable,  en  masse,  unless  some 
suitable  place  could  be  found  where  any  con- 
siderable number  might  go,  and  not  fare  worse. 
The  colored  people  will  eventually  leave  those 
places  where  they  are  maltreated,  but  “whether 
it  is  better  to  suffer  the  ills  we  now  bear  than 
flee  to  those  we  know  not  of,”  is  the  question. 
The  prevailing  sentiment  among  the  masses 
seems  to  be  to  remain  for  the  present  where 
they  are,  and  through  wise  action,  and  appeals 
to  the  Court  of  Enlightened  Christian  Senti- 
ment, try  to  disarm  the  mob.  There  is  no  doubt 
a class  of  white  citizens  who  regret  such  occur- 
rences, and  from  their  natural  horror  of  blood- 
shed, and  looking  to  the  welfare  and  reputation 
of  the  communities  in  which  such  outrages  occur, 
and  feeling  that  withal  the  Negro  makes  a good 
domestic  and  farm  hand,  will,  and  do  counsel 
against  mob  violence.  In  many  places  where 
mobs  have  occurred  such  white  citizens  have 
been  invaluable  aids  in  saving  the  lives  of  Ne- 
groes from  mob  violence  ; and  trusting  that  these 
friends  will  increase  and  keep  up  their  good 
work,  the  Negro  has  seldom  ever  left  the  scene 
of  mob  violence  in  any  considerable  numbers, 
the  home  ties  being  strong,  and  he  instinctively 
loves  the  scene  of  his  birth.  He  loves  the  white 
men  who  were  boys  with  him,  whose  faces  he 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


383 


has  smiled  on  from  infancy,  and  he  would  rather 
not  sever  those  friendly  ties.  A touching  inci- 
dent is  related  in  reference  to  a colored  man  in 
a certain  town  where  a mob  was  murdering 
Negroes  right  and  left,  who  came  to  the  door 
of  his  place  of  business,  and  seeing  the  face  of 
a young  white  man  whom  he  had  known  from 
his  youth,  asked  protection  for  his  wife  and 
five  children.  The  reply  came  with  an  oath, 
“Get  back  into  that  house  or  I will  put  a bullet 
into  you.”  The  day  before  this  these  two  men 
had  been  “good  friends,”  had  “exchanged 
cigars” — but  the  orders  of  the  mob  were 
stronger  in  this  instance  than  the  ties  of  long 
years  of  close  friendship.  Another  instance, 
though,  will  show  how  the  mob  could  not  con- 
trol the  ties  of  friendship  of  the  white  for  the 
black.  It  was  the  case  of  a colored  man  who 
was  blacklisted  by  a mob  in  a certain  city,  and 
fled  to  the  home  of  a neighboring  white  friend, 
who  kept  him  in  his  own  house  for  several  days 
until  escape  was  possible,  and  in  the  meantime 
summoned  his  white  neighbors  to  guard  the 
black  man's  family — threatening  to  shoot  down 
the  first  member  of  the  mob  who  should  enter  the 
gate,  because,  as  he  said,  “you  have  no  right 
to  frighten  that  woman  and  her  children  to 
death.”  Such  acts  as  this  assure  the  Negroes  in 
places  where  feeling  runs  against  them  that  per- 
haps they  may  be  fortunate  enough  to  escape 
the  violence  of  the  terrible  race  hatred  that  is 


384 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


now  running  riot  in  this  country.  In  this  con- 
nection it  is  well  to  remark  that  kindness  will 
win  in  the  long  run  with  the  Negro  race,  and 
make  them  the  white  man’s  friend.  Those 
States  where  Negroes  are  being  burned  are 
sowing  to  the  wind  and  will  ere  long  reap  the 
whirlwind  in  the  matter  of  race  hatred.  Crim- 
inal assaults  were  not  characteristic  of  the  Negro 
in  the  days  of  slavery,  because  as  a rule  there 
was  friendship  between  master  and  slave — the 
slave  was  too  fond  of  his  master’s  family  but 
to  do  otherwise  than  protect  it ; but  the  situa- 
tion is  changed — instead  of  kindness  the  Negro 
sees  nothing  but  rebuff  on  every  hand;  he  feels 
himself  a hated  and  despised  race  without  coun- 
try or  protection  anywhere,  and  the  brute-spirit 
rises  in  those  who,  by  their  make-up  and  train- 
ing, cannot  keep  it  down — then  follows  murder, 
outrage,  rape.  It  is  true  that  only  a few  do 
these  things,  but  those  few  are  the  natural 
products  of  the  American  system  of  oppression, 
and  the  wonder  is,  when  the  question  is  viewed 
philosophically,  that  there  are  so  few.  The  con- 
clusion here  reached  is  that  these  States  will  not 
get  rid  of  their  brutes  by  burning  them  and 
taking  the  charred  embers  home  as  relics,  but 
rather  by  treating  the  Negro  population  with 
more  kindness  and  showing  them  that  there  is 
some  hope  for  Negro  citizenship.  The  Negroes 
know  that  white  men  have  been  known  to  rape 
colored  girls,  but  that  never  has  there  been  a 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AME RICAN  WAR 


385 


Church  of  San  Sebastiano,  Manilla. 


386 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


suggestion  of  lynching  or  burning  for  that.  And 
they  feel  despondent,  for  they  know  the  courts 
are  useless  in  such  cases,  and  this  jug-handle 
enforcement  of  lynch  law  is  breeding  its  own 
bad  fruits  on  the  Negro  race  as  well  as  making 
more  brutal  the  whites.  It  is  estimated  that  the 
whites  have  killed  10,000  Negroes  in  various 
ways  since  the  Civil  War,  and  that  there  has 
been  only  one  white  man  hung  for  murder  of  a 
Negro,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  scarcely  a 
Negro  can  escape  who  kills  a white  man,  even 
if  done  in  self-defense.  My  advice,  then,  to 
our  white  friends  is  to  try  “kindness”  as  a 
remedy  for  race  troubles,  and  I am  convinced 
of  the  force  of  this  remedy  from  what  I know 
of  the  occurrence  of  assaults  and  murders  in 
those  States  where  the  Negroes  are  made  to 
feel  that  they  are  citizens  and  are  at  home. 

SUFFRAGE  IN  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

(“Washington  Post,”  Feb.  20,  1899.) 

The  amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  North 
Carolina,  which  has  for  its  object  the  limitation 
of  the  suffrage  in  the  State,  appears  to  have  been 
modeled  on  the  new  Louisiana  laws  and  operates 
a gross  oppression  and  injustice.  It  is  easy  to 
see  that  the  amendment  is  not  intended  to  dis- 
franchise the  ignorant,  but  to  stop  short  with 
the  Negro;  to  deny  to  the  illiterate  black  man 
the  right  of  access  to  the  ballot  box  and  yet  to 
leave  the  way  wide  open  to  the  equally  illiterate 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


387 


whites.  In  our  opinion  the  policy  thus  indicated 
is  both  dangerous  and  unjust.  We  expressed 
the  same  opinion  in  connection  with  the 
Louisiana  laws,  and  we  see  no  reason  to  amend 
our  views  in  the  case  of  North  Carolina.  The 
proposed  arrangement  is  wicked.  It  will  not 
bear  the  test  of  intelligent  and  impartial  exam- 
ination. We  believe  in  this  case,  as  in  that  of 
Louisiana,  that  the  Federal  Constitution  has 
been  violated,  and  we  hope  that  the  people  of 
North  Carolina  will  repudiate  the  blunder  at 
the  polls. 

We  realize  with  sorrow  and  apprehension  that 
there  are  elements  at  the  South  enlisted  in  the 
work  of  disfranchising  the  Negro  for  pur- 
poses of  mere  party  profit.  It  has  been  so  in 
Louisiana,  where  laws  were  enacted  under  which 
penniless  and  illiterate  Negroes  cannot  vote, 
while  the  ignorant  and  vicious  classes  of  whites 
are  enabled  to  retain  and  exercise  the  franchise. 
So  far  as  we  are  concerned — and  we  believe  that 
the  best  element  of  the  South  in  every  State 
will  sustain  our  proposition — we  hold  that,  as 
between  the  ignorant  of  the  two  races,  the  Ne- 
groes are  preferable.  They  are  conservative; 
they  are  good  citizens;  they  take  no  stock  in 
social  schisms  and  vagaries;  they  do  not  con- 
sort with  anarchists;  they  cannot  be  made  the 
tools  and  agents  of  incendiaries;  they  constitute 
the  solid,  worthy,  estimable  yeomanry  of  the 
South.  Their  influence  in  government  would  be 


388 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


infinitely  more  wholesome  than  the  influence 
of  the  white  sansculotte,  the  riff-raff,  the  idlers, 
the  rowdies,  and  the  outlaws.  As  between  the 
Negro,  no  matter  how  illiterate  he  may  be,  and 
the  “poor  white,”  the  property-holders  of  the 
South  prefer  the  former.  Excepting  a few 
impudent,  half-educated,  and  pestiferous  pre- 
tenders, the  Negro  masses  of  the  South  are 
honest,  well-meaning,  industrious,  and  safe  citi- 
zens. They  are  in  sympathy  with  the  superior 
race;  they  find  protection  and  encouragement 
with  the  old  slave-holding  class;  if  left  alone, 
they  would  furnish  the  bone  and  sinew  of  a 
secure  and  progressive  civilization.  To  dis- 
franchise this  class  and  leave  the  degraded 
whites  in  possession  of  the  ballot  would,  as  we 
see  the  matter,  be  a blunder,  if  not  a crime. 

The  question  has  yet  to  be  submitted  to  a 
popular  vote.  We  hope  it  will  be  decided  in 
the  negative.  Both  the  Louisiana  Senators  are 
on  record  as  proclaiming  the  unconstitutionality 
of  the  law.  Both  are  eminent  lawyers,  and  both 
devoted  absolutely  to  the  welfare  of  the  South. 
We  can  only  hope,  for  the  sake  of  a people 
whom  we  admire  and  love,  that  this  iniquitous 
legislation  may  be  overruled  in  North  Carolina 
as  in  Louisiana. 


WHAT  COURAGE!  WHAT  AN  EXAMPLE 
OF  FAITHFULNESS  TO  DUTY 
did  the  colored  troopers  exhibit  in  forgetting 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


389 


all  these  shortcomings  to  themselves  and  race 
of  their  own  government  when  they  made  those 
daring  charges  on  San  Juan  and  El  Caney!! 
They  were  possessed  with  large  hearts  and  sub- 
lime courage.  How  they  fought  under  such 
circumstances,  none  but  a divine  tongue  can 
answer.  It  was  a miracle,  and  was  performed, 
no  doubt,  that  good  might  come  to  the  race  in 
the  shape  of  the  testimonials  given  them  as 
appears  heretofore  in  this  book.  Their  deeds 
must  live  in  history  as  an  honor  to  the  Negro 
race.  Let  them  be  taught  to  the  children:  Let 
it  be  said  that  the  Negro  soldier  did  his  duty 
under  the  flag,  whether  that  flag  protects  him 
or  not.  The  white  soldier  fought  under  no  such 
sad  reflections — he  did  not,  after  a hard-fought 
battle,  lie  in  the  trenches  at  night  and  dream  of 
his  aged  mother  and  father  being  run  out  of 
their  little  home  into  the  wintry  blasts  by  a mob 
who  sought  to  “string  them  up”  for  circulating 
literature  relating  to  the  party  of  William  Mc- 
Kinley— the  President  of  the  United  States — 
this  was  the  colored  soldier’s  dream,  but  he 
swore  to  protect  the  flag  and  he  did  it.  The 
colored  soldier  has  been  faithful  to  his  trust; 
let  others  be  the  same.  If  Negroes  who  have 
other  trusts  to  perform  do  their  duty  as  well  as 
the  colored  soldiers,  there  will  be  many  revisions 
in  the  scale  of  public  sentiment  regarding  the 
Negro  race  in  America — many  arguments  will 
be  overthrown  and  the  heyday  towards  Negro- 


390 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


citizenship  will  begin  to  dawn — there  are  other 
battles  than  those  of  the  militia. 

THE  SOLUTION  OF  THE  PROBLEM  IS  IN  THE  RACE’S  OWN  HANDS. 

They  must  climb  up  themselves  with  such 
assistance  as  they  can  get.  The  race  has  done 
well  in  forty-six  years  of  freedom,  but  it  could 
have  done  better;  banking  on  the  progress 
already  made,  the  next  thirty  years  will,  no 
doubt,  show  greater  improvement  than  the  past 
— time,  time,  time,  which  some  people  seem  to 
take  so  little  into  account,  will  be  the  great  ad- 
juster of  all  such  problems  in  the  future  as  it  has 
been  in  the  past.  Many  children  of  the  white 
fathers  of  the  present  day  will  read  the  writing 
of  their  parents  and  wonder  at  their  shortsight- 
edness in  attempting  to  fix  the  metes  and  bounds 
of  the  American  Negro’s  status.  We  feel  re- 
luctant to  prophesy,  but  this  much  we  do  say, 
that  fifty  years  from  now  will  show  a great 
change  in  the  Negro’s  condition  in  America,  and 
many  of  those  who  now  predict  his  calamity 
will  be  classed  wtih  the  fools  who  said  before  the 
Negro  was  emancipated  that  they  would  all 
perish  within  ten  years  for  lack  of  ability  to 
feed  and  clothe  themselves.  The  complaint  now 
with  many  of  those  who  oppose  the  Negro  is 
not  because  he  lacks  ability,  but  rather  because 
he  uses  too  much  and  sometimes  gets  the  situa- 
tion that  they  want.  This  is  preeminently  so 
from  a political  standpoint.  So  as  to  the  prob- 


IN  THE  SPANISH- AMERICAN  WAR  39 1 


Filipino  Lady  of  Manila, 


392 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


lem  of  the  Negro’s  imbibing  the  traits  of  civiliza- 
tion, that  point  is  settled  by  what  he  has  already 
done,  and  the  untold  obstacles  which  are  being 
constantly  put  in  his  way  by  those  who  fear  his 
competition.  The  question  then  turns  not  so 
much  on  what  shall  be  done  with  the  Negro  as 
upon  “what  shall  be  done  with  the  white  men” 
who  are  so  filled  with  prejudice  that  neither 
law  nor  religion  restrains  their  bloody  hands 
when  the  Negro  refuses  to  get  into  what  is 
called  “his  place,”  which  place  is  that  of  a 
menial;  and  often  there  seems  no  effort  even 
to  put  the  Negro  in  any  particular  “place”  save 
the  grave,  as  many  of  the  lynchings  and  mur- 
ders appear  to  be  done  either  for  the  fun  of 
shooting  some  one,  or  else  with  extermination 
in  view.  There  is  no  attempt  at  a show  of 
reason  or  right.  The  mob  spirit  is  growing — 
prejudice  is  more  intense.  Formerly  it  was  con- 
fined to  the  rabble,  now  it  has  taken  hold  of 
those  of  education  and  standing.  Red  shirts 
have  entered  the  pulpits,  and  it  is  a matter 
boasted  of  rather  than  condemned^-the  South 
is  not  the  only  scene  of  such  outrages.  Preju- 
dice is  not  confined  to  one  section,  but  is,  no 
doubt,  more  intense  in  the  Southern  States,  and 
more  far-reaching  in  its  effects,  because  it  is 
there  that  the  Negroes,  by  reason  of  the  large 
numbers  in  proportion  to  the  other  inhabitants, 
come  into  political  competition  with  the  whites 
who  revolt  at  the  idea  of  Negro  officers,  whether 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


393 


they  are  elected  by  a majority  of  citizens  or  not. 
The  whites  seem  bent  on  revolution  to  pre- 
vent the  force  and  effect  of  Negro  majorities. 
Whether  public  sentiment  will  continue  to  en- 
dorse these  local  revolutions  is  the  question 
that  can  be  answered  only  by  time.  Just  so 
long  as  the  Negro’s  citizenship  is  written  in  the 
Constitution  and  he  believes  himself  entitled  to 
it,  just  so  long  will  he  seek  to  exercise  it.  The 
white  man’s  revolution  will  be  needed  every  now 
and  then  to  beat  back  with  the  Winchester  the 
Negro’s  aspirations.  The  Negro  race  loves  prog- 
ress, it  is  fond  of  seeing  itself  elevated,  it 
loves  office  for  the  honor  it  brings  and  the 
emoluments  thereof,  just  as  other  progressive 
races  do.  It  is  not  effete,  looking  back  to  Con- 
fucius; it  is  looking  forward;  it  does  not  think 
its  best  days  have  been  in  the  past,  but  that  they 
are  yet  to  come  in  the  future;  it  is  a hopeful  race, 
teachable  race;  a race  that  absorbs  readily  the 
arts  and  accomplishments  of  civilization;  a race 
that  has  made  progress  in  spite  of  mountains  of 
obstacles;  a race  whose  temperament  defied  the 
worst  evils  of  slavery,  both  African  and  Ameri- 
can; a race  of  great  vitality,  a race  of  the  future, 
a race  of  destiny. 

In  closing  this  resume  of  this  little  work  it 
is  proper  that  I should  warn  the  younger  mem- 
bers of  the  race  against  despondency,  and 
against  the  looseness  of  character  and  habits 
that  is  singularly  consequential  of  a despondent 


394 


HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SOLDIERS 


spirit.  Do  not  be  discouraged,  give  up  and 
throw  away  brilliant  intellects,  because  of  seem- 
ing obstacles,  but  rather  resolve  to  “be  some- 
thing and  do  something  in  spite  of  obstacles.” 

“It  was  not  by  tossing  feather  balls  into  the 
air  that  the  great  Hercules  gained  his  strength, 
but  by  hurling  huge  bowlders  from  mountain 
tops  ‘that  his  name  became  the  synonym  of 
manly  strength.’  So  the  harder  the  struggle 
the  greater  the  discipline  and  fitness.  If  we 
cannot  reach  success  in  one  way,  let  us  try 
another.  ‘If  the  mountain  will  not  come  to 
Mahomet,  let  Mahomet  go  to  the  mountain.’  ” 

Self-made  men  are  usually  strong  characters 
— the  race  needs  strong  characters,  it  needs  re- 
liable men  who  will  help  live  down  the  reputa- 
tion that  has  already  been  made  for  us  by  the 
lick-spittle,  and  jig  dancers.  When  high  char- 
acter marks  the  majority  of  the  race,  sentiment 
will  change  in  our  favor,  and  we  will  no  longer 
be  measured  by  the  vices  of  the  vicious,  but  by 
the  virtues  of  the  majority.  Nothing  tells  for 
progress  like  self-respect.  Money  without  it 
will  not  solve  the  problem,  let  there  be  both. 

The  South  is  a Good  Place  for  the  Negro  to 
Live,  provided,  however,  the  better  class  of  citi- 
zens will  rise  up  and  demand  that  lynchings  and 
mobs  shall  cease,  and  that  the  officers  of  the 
law  shall  do  their  duty  without  prejudice.  The 
only  way  to  suppress  mob  violence  is  to  make 
punishment  for  the  leaders  in  it  sure  and  cer- 


IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


395 


tain.  The  reason  we  have  mobs  is  because  the 
leaders  of  them  know  they  will  not  be  punished. 
The  enforcement  of  the  law  against  lynchers 
will  break  it  up. 

The  white  ministers  should  take  up  the  cause 
of  justice  rather  than  endorse  the  red  shirts,  or 
carry  a Winchester  themselves.  They  should 
be  the  counselors  of  peace  and  not  the  advocates 
of  bloodshed.  Most  of  them,  no  doubt,  do  re- 
gret the  terrible  deeds  committed  by  mobs  on 
helpless  and  innocent  people,  but  it  is  a question 
as  to  whether  or  not  they  would  be  suffered  by 
public  sentiment  to  “cry  aloud”  against  them. 
It  takes  moral  courage  to  face  any  evil,  but  it 
must  be  faced  or  dire  consequences  will  follow 
of  its  own  breeding.  Our  last  word  then  is  an 
appeal  to  our  BROTHERS  IN  WHITE,  in  the 
pulpit,  that  they  should  rally  the  people  to- 
gether for  justice  and  condemn  mob  violence. 
The  Negroes  do  not  ask  social  equality,  but  civil 
equality;  let  the  false  notions  that  confound 
civil  rights  with  social  rights  be  dispelled,  and 
advocate  the  civil  equality  of  all  men,  and  the 
problem  will  be  solved. 

Edmund  Burke  says  that  “war  never  leaves 
where  it  found  a nation”;  applying  this  to  the 
American  nation  with  respect  to  the  Negro  it 
is  to  be  hoped  that  the  late  war  will  leave  a 
better  feeling  toward  him,  especially  in  view  of 
the  glorious  record  of  the  Negro  soldiers  who 
participated  in  that  conflict. 


INDEX— PART  I 


Abolitionism,  growth  of,  80, 81 
Abolitionists,  opposition  to  Northern,  99 
work  of  the,  80,  81 
African  cities,  ancient,  11, 15 
Africans,  native,  present  condition  of,  11 
racial  traits  of,  11, 18 
Africo- American  Presbyterian,  154 
Allen,  Rev.  Richard,  149 
Almanac,  Banneka’s,  36 
Amendment,  Constitutional,  thirteenth, 
138 

fifteenth,  139 
A.  M.  E.  Review,  149 
Amistad  Captives,  the,  95 
Anti-slavery  agitation,  98-110 
hooks,  83 
conventions,  82 

“ Anti-slavery  Free  Women  of  America,” 

82 

Armistead,  James,  71 
Army,  colonial,  slaves  in  the,  57,  58 
compensation  for,  61 

(See  Soldiers,  Troops.) 
Ashmun,  Jehudi,  88 
Association,  Missionary,  American,  154 
Asylum,  Colored  Orphans',  burning  of, 
115 

Attucks,  Crispus,  patriotism  of,  63-65 

Baltimore,  J.  D.  (inventor),  164 
Bank,  Freedmen’s  Savings,  162 
Banks,  Genl.,  on  the  conduct  of  Negro 
troops,  113 

Banneka,  Benjamin,  attainments  of,  35-38 
death  of,  38 
Jefferson’s  letter  to,  37 
Robert,  35 
Baptist  Tribune,  150 
Baptists,  colored,  extent  of.  151 
prominent,  151 
Battle  of  Bull  Run,  103 
of  Bunker’s  Hill,  incident  of,  69 
Negro  heroism  at,  66 
Peter  Salem  at,  66 

of  Milliken’sBend,  Negro  troops  at,  113 
of  New  Orleans,  cotton  breastworks  at 
the,  76 

of  Petersburg,  Negro  troops  at,  122-129 
of  Port  Hudson,  Negro  troops  at,  110-113 
of  the  Wilderness,  Negro  troops  at,  120 
Bergen,  Miss  Flora  Batson  (singer),  183 
Bethune,  Thomas  (“Blind  Tom”),  183-186 
Bill,  Civil  Rights,  139, 170 
“ Black  Brigade,’1  Hinks’,  122 


Black,  John  (inventor),  164 
“ Black  Phalanx,”  156 
“ Blind  Tom,”  184-186 
Brawley,  Rev.  E.  M.,  149 
Brown,  Miss  H.  Q.  (elocutionist),  183 
John,  insurrection  of,  99 
William  Wells,  172 
Bruce,  Senator  B.  K.,  175 
Bunker  Hill,  incident  of  battle,  69 
Bureau,  Freedmen’s,  design  of,  139, 140 
Burnside,  Genl.,  at  Petersburg,  126-128 
Butler,  B.  F.,  opposition  to  Negro  enlisv- 
ment,  105 


Calliodx,  Capt.  Andre,  ill 
Canaanites,  the,  10,  14,  15 
Carey,  Lott,  88 

Carney,  Sergeant,  heroism  of,  117 
Charlton,  Samuel,  bravery  of,  71 
Chauncey,  Com.,  retort  to  Capt.  Perry,  77 
Chavers,  Rev.  John,  193 
Cheatham,  Hon.  H P.,  181 
Children,  school,  colored,  number  of,  160 
Christian  Recorder,  149 
Church,  A M.  E.,  influence  of,  149 
Zion,  152 

Baptist,  founded,  150 
influence  of  the,  151 
Methodist,  152 
Presbyterian,  154 

Churches,  colored,  property  owned  by ,163 
Southern,  Northern  support  of,  152 
Cinquez,  Joseph,  95 
Cities,  ancient  African,  11,  15 
Civil  Rights  Bill,  139 
“ Cockade  City,”  122 
College,  Bennett,  152, 158 
Livingston,  152, 158 
Morris  Brown,  148 

Colonies,  slavery  in  the,  beginning  of,  17 
dates  of  introduction,  55 
Southern,  habits  and  customs  of,  53 
Colonists,  Southern,  habits  and  customs, 
53 

Colored  schools  in  the  South,  157-160 
Constitution,  Freemen's,  in  North  Caro- 
lina, 190, 191 

Convention,  Anti-Slavery,  National,  82 
of  free  colored  people,  82 
Cotton  plantations,  Georgia,  47 
Crandall, Prudence,  Negro  school  of,  31-33 
Crater,  the,  at  Petersburg,  126-128 
Curtis.  Thomas  J.,  191 


INDEX. 


Dabney’s  Clothes-line  telegraph,  131- 
134 

Davis,  Jefferson,  capture  of,  136  n 
John,  bravery  of,  77 
Debnam.  Prof.  VV.  F.,  157 
Deeds  of  daring,  Negro,  66-70,  131-134 
Disfranchisement  of  the  Southern  Negro, 
138 

Dismal  Swamp  slave  property  in,  94 
Dixon,  Rev.  William  T.,  172 
Dodge,  Caleb,  slave  test  suit  of.  26 
Douglass,  Frederick,  biography  of,  84-87 
m writings  of,  83 
Dred  Scott  Decision.  99  n 
Dun  more.  Lord,  enlistment  of  Negroes  by, 
56 

Dunn’s  house,  Negro  corps  at,  123, 124 

Education,  Negro,  in  the  South,  156-161 
self-help  in.  of  Southern  Negroes,  158 
Elliott.  Robert  B.  (orator),  169 
Emancipation  for  military  service,  61 
in  Virginia,  72 

of  N,fw  England  slaves,  26,  27 
Proclamations.  107 
Enlistment  (see  Soldiers, Troops). 
Explosion,  mine,  at  Petersburg,  126 

Families,  Southern,  habits  and  customs, 
53,  54 

Fisk  Jubilee  Singers,  161 
Fort,  Blount’s,  refugees  in,  48,  49,  50 
Griswold,  incident  at.  71 
Groton,  incident  at.  70 
Pillow,  Negro  troops  at,  118 
Sumter,  capture  of,  103 
Wagner,  Negro  troops  at,  115 
Forten,  James,  81 
Miss  Sarah  (poetess),  82 
Fortune,  T.  T.  (editor),  180 
Franchise,  elective  (1776),  in  N.  C.,  190 
(1835).  in  N.  C.,  191 

Freedmen's  Bureau,  design  of,  139,  140 
Savings  Bant,  162 
Freedom,  Negro,  efforts  for,  80-97 
Freeman,  John,  heroism  of,  71 
Freemen,  colored,  elective  franchise  of, 
190 

Friends,  the,  opposition  to  slavery,  40 
Fugitive  slave  law.  99 
Fugitives  (see  Slaves.) 

Fuller,  Thomas,  20 

Gaines,  W.  J.  (bishop),  147 
Garrison,  William  Lloyd,  81, 180 
Gaston.  Judge,  decision  of.  191 
Genius  of  Emancipation,  the,  80 
Government,  Provisional,  first,  at  the 
South,  138 

Grant,  Genl.,  at  Petersburg,  127, 128 
Greener,  Prof.  Richard  Theodore,  175 


Hamilton,  Alexander,  letter  of,  58 
Hancock,  Richard  M.,  164 
Harper,  Mrs.  Frances  Ellin,  183 
Harris,  Sarah,  32 
Heath,  Corporal,  bravery  of,  112 
Heroes,  Negro,  19 
of  1812,  77,  78 

of  the  Rebellion,  111,  112, 131 
of  the  Revolution,  63-67 
Holbrook,  Felix,  petition  of,  27 
Horton,  George  M.  (poeti,  41 
Howard,  Genl.  O.  O.,  140 
Hunter,  Genl.,  enlistment  of  Negroes  by, 
104 

Incidents,  66-70, 131-134 
Institute,  Louisville,  181 
Normal  and  Industrial,  Kittrell's,  158 
Institutions,  Educational,  141,  154,  155, 
157 

Insurrection,  John  Brown’s,  99 
Nat.  Turner’s,  90-93 

Jamestown,  Negroes  at.  first,  17, 19 
Jeffreys,  Major,  bravery  and  treatment 
of,  78 

“Jenny  Lind,”  colored,  183 
Johnson,  John,  bravery  of,  77 
Jones,  James  EL,  136 
Wiley,  164 

Journal  of  the  Times,  81 
Jubilee  Singers,  Fisk,  16i 

Kosciusko’s  aid  for  the  education  of  col- 
ored children,  73 
Ku-klux  Klan,  139 

Labor,  slave,  in  South  Carolina,  44 
La  Fayette,  Genl.,  anti-slaverv  ideas  of 
72,  73 

Langston,  Hon.  J.  Mercer,  167 
Latham,  L.,  bravery  and  death  of,  70,  71 
Laurens,  Col.,  death  of,  66 
enlistment  of  Negroes  by,  58,  61 
Law,  slave,  fugitive,  99 
Leak,  Rev.  R.  H.  W„  93 
Lee,  Genl.,  surrender  at  Appomattox,  130 
Lewis,  Edmonia  (artist),  179 
Liberator,  the,  81 

--Liberia,  colonization  of,  88,  89 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  election  of,  100,  103 
reclamation  for  volunteers  of,  103 
reclamations,  Emancipation,  107 
opposition  of,  to  colored  troops,  103,  106 
review  of  colored  troops  by.  119 
L’Ouverture,  Toussaint,  186 
Loomis,  Lieut.,  attack  and  capture  of 
Blount’s  fort  by,  49-50 
Lundy,  Benjamin  (abolitionist),  80 
Lynch,  Hon.  John  R.,  182 


Maroons,  the  Virginia,  94 
Habits  and  Customs  of  Southern  colo-  Massacre,  Boston,  Crispus  Attueks  at,  63< 
nists,  53  i 65 

Hall,  Primus,  incident  of,  67  I McClellan,  Genl.,  105 

397 


INDEX. 


Melodies,  Negro,  146, 161 
Mi'liken's  Bend,  negro  troops  at,  113 
Morgan,  C.  G.  lorator),  156 
Music,  Negro,  146 
originality  of,  161 

“ My  Bondage  and  My  Freedom,”  83 

Nahar,  Miss  Ednorah,  184 
National  Reformer,  the,  83 
Navy,  Negroes  in  the,  of  1812,  76 
Negro,  the,  freed,  ostracization  of,  145 
eminent  progress  of,  196 
origin  of,  9, 10 

writings  on,  quotations  from,  12 
lfegro  education  in  the  South,  156-161 
heroes,  19,  63-67,  77,  78,  111,  112,  131 
refugees,  Blount’s  Fort,  48 
massacre  of,  51 
soldiers,  conduct  of,  109, 110 
employment  of,  109 
enlistment  of,  103-107 
opposition  to  the,  56 
first  regiment  of,  115 
in  Revolutionary  times,  56 
troops,  at  Petersburg,  122-129 
in  Virginia,  119, 120 
Negroes,  American,  ancestors  of,  9, 18 
Colonial,  enlistment  of,  61,  62 
British,  56,  67 
Hamilton’s  letter  on,  58 
objections  to  the,  56,61,  62 
Washington’s  letter,  60,  61 
enlistment  of,  war  of  the  Rebellion,  103 
-107 

re-enslavement  of,  after  the  Revolu- 
tion, 74 

some  noted,  167-186 

Nelson’s  colored  troops  at  Port  Hudson, 
110-113 

New  London,  Conn.,  capture  of,  70 
Noah,  curse  of,  not  divine,  14 
sons  of,  9, 10,  15 

Noble,  Jordan  (veteran  soldier),  78 

Pastorious,  Francis  Daniel,  40 
Payne,  Rev.  D.  A.  (bishop),  172 
Penn,  William,  40 

Perry,  Capt.,  retort  of  Com.  Chauncey  to, 
77 

Petersburg,  attack  of,  Negro  troops  in, 
122-129 

Phelps,  Genl.,  104 
pinchback,  Hon.  P.  B.,  175 
flauciancois,  Anselmas,  bravery  of,  111, 
112 

"Planet”  the,  surrender  of,  169 
Plantations,  cotton,  Georgia,  47 
Population,  Negro,  at  the  close  of  the  Re- 
bellion, 160;  in  1850,  98  : in  1860, 102 ; 
at  the  present  time,  160 
Port  Hudson,  Negro  soldiers  at,  110-113 
Presbyterians,  educational  work  of,  154 
Price,  Dr.  J.  C.  (orator),  178 
Prince,  at  the  capture  of  Genl.  Prescott, 
69 


Proclamations,  emancipation,  107 
Progress  of  Negro  culture,  142-166 
educational,  156-161 
financial,  162-166 
musical,  161 
religious,  146-155 

Property-holders,  noted  colored,  163 
Prophecy,  Noah’s,  not  divine,  14 
Pyramids,  the,  9 

Quakers,  Penna.,  abolitionism  of,  80 

Race,  colored,  progress  of,  since  free- 
dom, 142-196 

Races,  primitive,  progenitors  of,  9 
Railroad,  underground,  the,  99,  101 
Rayner,  Hon.  Kenneth,  194 
Rebellion,  enlistment  of  Negroes,  103-107 
incidents  of,  131-134 
Reconstruction  of  Southern  States,  138 
Refugees,  Negro,  Georgia,  48,  51 
Regiment,  first  colored,  115 
Rencher,  Hon.  Abram,  194 
Revels,  Hon.  Hiram,  167 
Revolution,  American,  Negro  heroes  o£ 
63-67 

soldiers  of.  56,  63-67 
Richmond,  siege  and  fall  of,  129,  130 
Riot,  draft,  New  York,  115 
Negro,  in  New  York  (1712),  23 
slave  (1748),  in  So.  Carolina,  44 

Salem,  Peter,  bravery  of,  66 
Scarborough,  Prof.  W.  S„  156, 176 
School,  colored,  first,  in  New  England, 
32 

Normal,  Tuskegee,  178 
School-children,  colored,  number  of,  160 
-teachers,  colored,  number  of,  160 
Schools,  colored,  establishment  of,  141 
Southern,  educational  expense,  160 
expenditure  on,  157 
Science  and  art,  noted  Negroes  in,  164 
Selika,  Madame  (singer),  183 
Seminary,  Scotia,  155 
Senator,  U.  S.,  first  Negro,  167 
Sewall,  Judge  Samuel,  26 
Simmons,  Rev.  W.  J.  (educator),  181 
Singers,  colored,  noted,  183,  184 
Jubilee,  Fisk,  161 

Slave  and  master,  affection  between,  14& 
144 

law,  fugitive,  99 
population,  in  1850,  98 
in  1860, 102 

at  the  present  time,  160 
(See  Negro.) 

Slavery,  in  Conn.,  introduction  of,  55 
in  Delaware,  40 
introduction  of,  55 
in  Georgia,  46,  47 
in  Jamestown,  Va.,  17 
in  Maryland,  34,  55 
in  Massachusetts,  existence  of,  25, 55 
in  New  Hampshire,  introduction  of,  6& 


398 


INDEX. 


Slavery  in  New  Jersey,  introduction  of,  55 
In  New  York  colony,  23,  55 
in  North  Carolina,  41,  55 
in  Pennsylvania,  40,  55 
in  Rhode  Island,  introduction  of,  55 
in  South  Carolina.  44,  55 
in  Virginia,  introduction  of,  55 
61aves,  American,  ancestors  of,  18 
condition.  18, 19.  23,  25,  34,  41, 44 
Colonial,  compensation  of  master  for 
enlisted,  61 

emancipation  of,  for  military  service, 
61 

emancipation  of,  in  Mass.,  26 
in  Virginia,  72 

faithfulness  of,  during  civil  war,  136 
freed,  condition  of,  at  close  of  the  Re- 
bellion, 144 
fugitive,  99 
enlistment  of,  164 
at  Blount's  Port,  48-50 
importation  of,  in  America,  17 
introduction  of,  17,  55 
runaway,  in  S.  C„  44 
white,  in  Maryland,  34 
Slaves,  Maryland, .34 
New  England,  emancipation  of,  27 
Small,  Hon.  Robert,  168 
Smith,  Genl.,  at  Petersburg,  122,  124, 125 
Gov.  John,  edict  of,  20 
Prof.  E.  E.,  178 

Societies,  anti-slavery,  formation  of,  SO 
number  in  1836,  82 

Northern,  for  the  education  of  Southern 
Negroes,  152 

Society,  colonization,  American,  88 
Soldiers,  Negro,  colonial,  compensation 
of,  61 

enlistment  of,  reward,  62,  67,  71,  72 
in  Revolutionary  times,  45,  56 
in  1812.  Jackson’s  address  to,  75 
of  the  Rebellion,  conduct  of,  109, 110 
Confederate,  103 
first  regiment  of,  115 
prejudice  to,  103 

public  sentiment  against,  104-106 
change  of,  117 
Stevens’  bill  to  enlist,  105 
Sphinx,  the,  12 

Staines,  William,  bravery  of,  134 
Stanton,  encomium  of,  on  Negro  troops, 
125 

Star  of  Zion,  the,  152 

States,  admission  as  free  or  slave,  agita- 
tion, 99 

Southern,  reconstruction  of,  138 
Still,  William,  164 
Stowe,  Harriet  Beecher,  83 
Suffrage,  universal,  effect  of  Southern, 
139 

Sumner,  Charles,  98 

Tanner,  Henry  (artist),  164 
Tapnan,  Arthur,  81 
.Lewis,  97 


Teachers,  colored  school,  number.  160 
Telegraph,  clothes-line,  Dabney’s.  131- 
131 

Terry,  John  W. , 164  % 

Troops,  Negro,  as  soldiers,  105, 106 
bravery  of,  109-134 
first  regimentof,  115 
pay  of  the,  106 

Troops,  Negro,  Colonial  (see  Soldiers). 
at  Fort  Pillow,  115,  118 
at  Milliken’s  Bend,  113 
at  Petersburg,  122-129 
at  Port  Hudson,  110-113 
at  the  Wilderness,  120 
in  Confederate  army,  104,  105.  135 
in  Union  army,  106, 135 
in  Virginia  campaign.  119 
(see  Army,  Soldiers.) 

Tupper,  Dr.  H.  M„  158 
Turner,  H.  M.  (bishop),  174 
Nathaniel,  execution  of,  92 
insurrection  of,  90 


“ Uncle  Tom’s  Cabin,”  83 
Underground  railroad,  99 
work  of  the,  1Q1 
University,  Alcorn,  167 
Biddle,  154 
Lincoln,  154 
Selma,  150 
Shaw,  138 
Wilberforce,  149 


Virginia  Calculator,  the,  20 


War,  civil,  American  (see  Rebellion). 
in  Kansas,  99 

Mexican,  outbreak  of  the,  80 
of  1812,74,  78 

enlistment  of  free  Negroes  for,  75 
Negroes  in  the  navy  of,  76 
of  the  Rebellion,  103 
incidents  of,  131-134 
Revolutionary»end  of  the,  74 
Negroes  in  the,  56,  63-67 
Washington,  Prof.  B T.,177 
George,  freedom  of  slaves  by,  72 
incidents  of,  67, 68 
Madison,  freedom  of,  94 
Watkins,  Avery  (preacher),  93 
Frances  Ellen.  38,  39 
Wealth  of  colored  people,  163, 164 
W’ebster,  Daniel,  98 
Welsh,  Molly,  35 

Wheatley,  Phillis,  culture  of,  27,  28 
death  of.  31 

Washington’s  letter  to,  29 
Whitfield,  George,  47  n 
Williams,  George  W.  (author),  156 
Roger,  150 

Wilson,  Joseph  T.  (author),  156 
Woods,  Granville  T.  (inventor),  163 

399 


INDEX— PART  II 


Aguinaldo,  Emilio,  369-372. 
Alger,  Russell  A.,  317-345. 
Anderson,  C.  F.,  296. 
Attucks,  Crispus,  221. 
Augustin,  286. 

Battle  of  Santiago,  285-288. 
Battleship  Maine,  210-212. 
Bagley,  Ensign,  222. 
Belligerant  Rights  to  the  In- 
surgents, 202. 

Benarbe,  Luis  Polo,  215. 
Belles  (Colored),  320-321. 
Berry,  Sergeant,  268-269. 
Bivens,  Horace  W.,  271. 
Black  Soldier  Boys,  305. 
Boston  Journal,  296. 

Brown,  Corporal,  235-241. 
Buffalo  Troopers,  243-247. 
Burke,  Edmund,  395. 

Cause  of  War  with  Spain, 
199. 

Campos,  Martinez  del,  199- 
203,  322-324. 

Capron,  A.  M.,  236-297. 
Cambon,  M.,  222. 

Camp  Poland,  345. 

Cardenas,  328. 

Cervantes,  326. 

Chadwick,  F.  C.,  211. 
Charge  of  the  Nigger  Ninth, 
247-251. 

Chaffee,  General,  312. 
Charleston  News  and  Cour- 
ier, 282. 

Charlotte  Observer,  333-334. 
Cisneros,  Evangelina  Cosio 
y,  208-210. 

Close  of  War,  222-223. 
Colored  Soldiers  in  Ameri- 
can Navy,  220. 

Colleges,  372-373- 
Colored  Troopers’  Faithful- 
ness to  Duty,  389-390. 
Colored  Regiments,  332. 
Colored  Fighters  at  San- 
tiago, 296. 

Congress  Appropriates  $50,- 
000,000,  212-213. 

Companies  A,  B,  C,  D,  342- 
346. 

Comments  on  the  3rd  North 
Carolina  Regiment,  357- 
_ 359- 

Convent  at  Cavite,  379. 
Conduct  of  Colored  Volun- 
teers, 333. 

Cuban  Women  Cavalry,  323. 
Cubans  Fighting  from  Tree 
Tops,  303. 

Decker,  Carl,  210. 

Dewey,  George,  220. 
Donovan,  Father,  320. 
Douglass,  Charles  R.,  337. 
Ducasse,  Tuan,  325. 

Ducket,  A.  C.,  286. 

Duffield,  General,  313. 

El  Caney  and  San  Juan 
Hill,  237-242,  284-285. 

Fact  About  the  Philippines, 
369-376. 


Ferdinand  VII.,  326. 

First  President  of  the  Cuban 
Republic,  293. 

First  Battle,  234. 

First  Pay  Day,  287. 
Fillibustering  Expeditions, 
.203. 

Fish,  Hamilton,  Jr.,  236-297. 
Final  Surrender,  313. 

Filipino  Lady  of  Manila, 
39i- 

Fleetwood,  C.  A.,  267. 

Fort  Morro,  316. 

Fort  Wagner  and  Milikin 
Bend,  336. 

Fry,  Capt.,  200. 

Freeman,  H.  B.,  3 66. 
Garrettson,  313. 

Gibson,  E.  I).,  365. 

Gomez,  Maximo,  281-282. 
Gomez,  Juan  Gaulberto,  326. 
Grant,  200. 

Gurney,  286. 

Guanabacoa,  328. 

Havana,  328. 

Holiday,  Presley,  263. 
Hobson,  275. 

Huffman,  Wyatt,  242-270. 
Hyatt,  Consul,  213. 
Investment  of  Santiago,  310- 
3H- 

Johnson,  J.  B.,  338-349. 
Johnson,  W.  H.,  338. 

Kansas  U.  S.  Vol.  Inf’t,  331. 
La  Tribuna,  327. 

La  Fraternidad,  326. 

La  Quasima,  283-296. 

Laws,  Albert,  367. 

Lee,  Fitzhugh,  200-201. 
Letter  to  Adjutant  General 
U.  S.  Army,  347-348. 
Liscum,  Emerson  H.,  286, 

366-367. 

Ludlow,  313. 

Lynch,  John  R.,  339. 

Lyon,  Henry  G.,  286. 

Maceo,  Antonio,  205-207. 
Maceo,  Jose,  208-219-324. 
Mantanzas  Orchestra,  320- 
327-  . 

Marquis  of  Sterling,  326. 
Medina,  Antonia,  326. 
Meserve,  Chas.  F.,  359-365. 
McKinley,  William,  198. 
Miles,  Nelson  A.,  264-267. 
Mitchell,  Mason,  296. 

Moffit,  Cleveland,  267. 
Morgan,  Thomas  J.,  270-276. 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  334-336. 
Negro  as  a Soldier,  282-283. 
New  York  Sun,  328. 

New  York  Mail  and  Ex- 
press, 305. 

New  York  Journal,  307-308. 
Ninth  Ohio  Officers,  335. 

No  Color  Line  Drawn  in 
Cuba,  318. 

On  Board  the  Transport, 
229-232. 


Old  Glory,  316. 

Old  Point  Comfort,  305. 
Pinar  del  Rio  Insurrection, 
325-327. 

Planet,  301. 

Plaza  de  Armas,  316. 

Policed  by  Negroes,  336-337. 
Potter,  W.  P.,  21 1. 
Population  of  Cuba,  321. 
Powell,  George  E.,  248. 
Porter’s  (Mrs.)  Ride,  309- 


310- 

Promotion  of  Negro  Sol- 
diers, 269. 

Pullen,  224-225,  243. 


Quintin  Bandera,  324-325. 
Ray,  General,  271. 
Reconciliation,  277. 

Regulars,  332. 

Riis,  Jacob  A.,  263-264. 
Roberts,  290-292. 

Roosevelt,  252-255. 

Rosser,  345. 

Rough  Riders,  299-300. 
Russell,  Macon,  242-270. 
Sampson,  220. 

Santiago,  232-234. 

Santiago  Buck,  305. 
Santiago’s  Killed  and 
Wounded  Compared  with 
Historic  Battles,  312. 

San  Basilio,  326. 

Schley,  220. 

Shafter,  242. 

Siboney  and  Aserradero,  314. 
Test  of  the  Negro  Soldier, 
306. 

Testimonials  in  Behalf  of 
Negro  Soldiers,  277-280. 
The  25th  Infantry,  224-228. 
Tenth  Cavalry,  234-235. 

The  South  a Good  Place  for 
the  Negro  to  Live,  394- 


_ 49S- 

Texarcana,  336. 

Toral,  314-316. 

Twelfth  Infantry,  239. 
Tunnell,  Elijah  B.,  221-222. 
Valdez,  Gabriel,  de  la  Con- 
cepcion, 326._ 

Virginius  Affair,  200. 
Volunteers  in  Massachusetts 
2nd,  238. 

War  Declared,  2 12-2 13. 

West  Virginia  and  New 
York  Volunteers,  334. 
Weyler,  “The  Butcher,”  198- 
203-208. 

What  the  Negro  Should  Do, 
382-384. 

Wheeler,  3 12-3 13. 

White,  Jose,  327. 

Woodford,  Minister,  218. 
Wright,  R.  R.,  343- 
Yates,  Father,  318-319. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  Tent,  363. 
Young,  Jas.  H.,  363. 


Zanjon,  326. 
Zertucha,  205. 


400 


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